Okami Amaterasu and The Element Dragons
by Moon Lily91
Summary: Dragons from another world appear on the Celestial Plain and Amaterasu must purify the ten dragons and stop a chaos dragon from becoming the unholy ruler of her world. PLEASE REVIEW! Now Complete! Special thanks to EruLawliet for ideas.
1. Chapter 1

Okami is a game for the PS2 for those who don't know. Enjoy my story!

Okami Amaterasu and the Element Dragons

Chapter 1: The Sun God is Overthrown

Amaterasu gazed up at the sky. She layed under a tree with her friend Waka. The scene was very peaceful. It's times like these that make you want to sleep. Waka played his flute as she looked at the sun. The Celestial Plain was kind of small to her but she didn't stop her from running here and there. She got bored and got up to run through the plains. She could basically do what she wants since she is the sun goddess. (by the way, she's a wolf). She ran all over the Celestial Plain until it was sunset. She saw the sky become a beautiful red-orange color. She stopped. There was a cold wind blowing. It was coming from above.

"Amaterasu, you have sensed it too?" said Waka.

She turned to him and looked up. There was something like a black hole in the sky. A dark shadow floated down a couple of yards away from her. It took form into a dragon with powerful wings. Its horns were like a ram's except they curved forward. It had horrible bright yellow eyes that looked emotionless. Amaterasu felt a chill go down her spine.

"My world is now gone. But I will make this my new home." it said. "Let chaos reign throughout this world!"

The dragon's claws, now covered what looked like black fire, sank into the earth of the Celestial Plain. Amaterasu saw the lush green grass become black and the trees began to wither. Though this was a bad situation, Amaterasu was confident. She had a strange power that lets her control a "Celestial Brush". She can do almost anything with it. And since a close friend of hers is having people believe in her, which was her strength, there was no way she could lose.

The sky was now a blood red color. The dragon stood up on its hind legs and smashed the ground with its forelegs. The ground under Amaterasu began to crumble. She tried to jump toward safer ground but a barrier seemed to block her out. She saw the Celestial Plain above her as she fell. Then ten colored lights shot out from the Celestial Plain in different directions. And she clearly saw dark shadows heading in the same direction as the lights. But where was Waka? He isn't fighting that dragon, is he? All she could do is hope that he is safe. Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I just thought of a new writing idea. Whenever you see A: you will be able to read what Amaterasu is thinking. All Okami characters don't belong to me, they belong to Clover Studios. The dragons, however, are mine. I describe the way I drew them.

Chapter 2: A New Light

"Ammy! C'mon furball, I know you're tougher than that! Get up!"

"Amaterasu, please wake up!"

A: Those voices...They sound so familiar.

Amaterasu's eyes slowly opened and saw a green light moving up and down. Wait...Is this who she thinks it is? She looked above the green light and saw a woman who had a pink skirt and bikini top. She had long, black bangs and brown boots.

"Its about time you woke up! I haven't seen you for a while now, furball."

A: I missed you so much! I'm so happy to see you haven't changed a bit.

"It brings happiness to my heart to see you again, Amaterasu." said Sakuya.

"Hey, furball. Why are you even down here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on the Celestial Plain?"

A: Well I was until that dragon showed up and cursed it.

"Ah, forget it. I bet the villagers will be happy to see you again!"

"yawn I suddenly feel so tired. It's great to see you, Amaterasu, but if you're down here, then something is wrong. May the fresh scent of flowers protect you always." said Sakuya and she dissapeared into the Konohana tree.

The two of them walked down a path until they reached the village. Everyone from Kamiki began to pay their respects to Amaterasu and gave her some food and offerings to get on her good side. But why wasn't she able to fight that dragon!?!? What was holding her back!?!? Fear? No, it wasn't fear for sure. Weakness? Maybe that was it! The first thing that dragon did was curse the Celestial Plain, which probably took away some of her strength. Wait...What about those lights? What were they?

"Ammy, quit spacing out! Look over there!"

Amaterasu looked in the direction that led out of the village. There was a dark cloud over Shinshu Field. Obviously, this is bad news.

A: Aw, man. I hope Shinshu isn't cursed!

She immediately dashed right out of the village. When she got to Shinshu Field, she was disappointed. It was definitely cursed. The Guardian Sapling was withered up and it was very hard to see. But she knew exactly what to do. She used her tail "Celestial Brush" to paint a circle around the trees branches and...Voila! The Guardian Sapling worked its magic and restored the nature in Shinshu Field.

"I see you still remember all your techniques, furball. Hey! Look over there, Ammy, there's something under the Guardian Sapling!"

A white dragon layed under the beautiful branches of the Guardian Sapling. Its wings had pure white feathers and so where the spikes that started at its head and ended at its tail. Amaterasu walked cautiously to the dragon.

"Is that a dragon? Pretty strange-looking one if it is. I've never seen one like this before."

The dragons eyelids suddenly flew open. It began to growl ferociously at Amaterasu. Its sapphire blue eyes locked on to Amaterasu, which made her feel uneasy. It lunged at Amaterasu with sharp claws glistening. Amaterasu quickly jumped over the dragon and when she saw he was directly beneath her, she kicked of the air to do a double jump. She landed behind the dragon and they both turned to face one another. Amaterasu could see the four legs of the dragon shaking.

A: He's so weak that he can barely stand up!

"Who are you?" it finally said.

"This is the great god Amaterasu! And I am the Magnificent Issun! And who are you?"

"I am Hakuzo, the dragon of light. My apoligies for attacking you."

"The dragon of light? Never heard of you, but why are you here?"

"I'm not sure...But I'll tell you this. I come from another world far from here. I and the other element dragons lived peacefully until that horrid chaos dragon destroyed it all."

"Chaos dragon? Is there even such a thing? And how the heck did it destroy your world?"

"I'm not quite sure how he gained such power to destroy our world but I do know that he is here. The other dragons and I followed him here but, sadly, we were too late. He had already cursed a floating island in the sky and gained more power from doing so. We fought him before but were greatly weakened from the previous battle. He scattered us all throughout this land and with us alone, he will kill us all one by one."

A: Scattered? I bet those were the lights I saw when I fell from the Celestial Plain!

"Amaterasu, may I ask you a favor? I fear something may have happened to my children and I want you to find them. Can you do that?"

"Well...How many children do you have?"

"Six."

"Six!?!?"

A: Six!?!?

"I sense a great disturbance in my children. I want you to free them from this misfortune with this."

He stood up on his hind legs and a white orb appeared in his claws. He faced the other claw at Amaterasu as if trying to pull something out of her body. And something did for a bright white light came out of Amaterasu. It was whiter and brighter than the orb in Hakuzo's claw. For some reason she didn't feel weak. The two lights combined and formed into a white glaive. The blade was pure white as if made of pure light. The handle looked like it was made of clouds but it was solid. There was the sign of the sun(like when you draw a sun in the sky in the game) in the middle of the handle.

"Wow! That some sword right there! I can't wait to see what it does!"

"It's not for fighting monsters or the sort. Use it to purify my children, Amaterasu."

"Hey, how come you can't do it yourself? Why do we have to do the dirty work!?!?"

"I am too weak to travel at the moment. But I must warn you, Amaterasu and Issun. If you fight my children, do not take them lightly...I want you to fight them with all your strength."

"Whoa...Tough parenting, huh?"

"Each one of my children are a different element, which are: Fire, water, earth, air, thunder, and ice. Please be careful, Amaterasu."

A: Don't worry! I mean, it would take something really strong to kill me!

"We're on it! But, next time, can you make a weapon a bit more useful?"

"One more thing...Don't kill them. All hope would be lost if you killed one of the element dragons. I do sense one of them nearby."

He pointed in the direction of Agata Forest. What dragon is waiting there?

A: See you later! We need to go dragon hunting!

Amaterasu and Issun bidded the dragon farewell and ran to Agata Forest. A new adventure was here for the both of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Dark Earth

Amaterasu and Issun had made it to Agata Forest. Unsurprisingly, it was cursed as well.

"Man, this is starting to remind of Orochi's stupid curse. Hey, Ammy, that white dragon didn't give us a name for your new glaive! Guess we have to come up with a name for it. Hmm...I know! It kinda looks like your Solar Flare mirror so how about calling it Solar Blade? Wow...I'm pretty good at naming things, ain't I? Lets go bloom that Guardian Sapling, furball."

Amaterasu had walked a short distance until...

"Bonjour, Amaterasu! I'm glad to see that you're awake now, ma cherie."

A: Waka! You had me totally worried! So why do you want to talk to me about?

"Oh, great. It's that half-baked prophet again! Stop being such a stalker already!"

A: Geez, Issun. Why do you have to be like that? Leave him alone already!

"I was just checking up on Amaterasu since she fell off the Celestial Plain. I was lucky to save her in time."

A: You saved me!?!? Well...If someone told you 'Will you save a god?' you say yes! It's not all that sweet that you saved me.

"What do you mean you "saved" her?"

"Well, when that horrible dragon cursed the Celestial Plain, he made Amaterasu fall. Right after she fell, more dragons appeared and that dragon turned them into lights and split them in all directions. The dragon then released these black spirits from within his body and those spirits traveled in the same direction as those lights. That was when I went after Amaterasu. I remembered that you lived in Kamiki Village and decided to leave Amaterasu there, my little bouncing friend."

"What did you do after that, pretty boy?"

"Oh, just a little investigating, is all."

"What? So you could make sure those black spirits will do their job or something? As usual, you're always up to no good!"

A: Stop already! You always want to scare him off! He might have found something out.

"Au contraire! I am not with that dragon. I can see that you restored Shinshu Field, Amaterasu. Now tell me, who was that white dragon you were speaking with?"

"Why do you want to know? Hey! You were spying on us, weren't you?"

"I was heading to Agata Forest already when I saw you two. Well, I don't have any prophecies for you, so I'll see you later. Au revoir!"

"It's about time he left...C'mon, furball. We need to bloom that Guardian Sapling."

The two of them headed toward the waterfall, where there was a cave that led to a Guardian Sapling. Amaterasu bloomed it and the trees returned to Agata Forest. She went outside the cave and jumped toward a patch of land surrounded in water. She sensed something coming and it wasn't walking...It was slithering. Three serpents appeared out of the water but they were abnormally huge. Amaterasu can see darkness in their eyes and despised it. The tips of their tails were arrow-shaped. They were black with the sign of darkness behind their heads. Their fangs were dripping with blood from their recent kill and it gave off a horrible stench.

A: Thank goodness it's not human blood.

Their heads began to rear back and struck out at Amaterasu. She quickly jumped out of the way and landed behind them, where she could easily attack them. She bit one of the tails and used the body of the serpent to attack the others. Amaterasu used like a whip and the fangs of the serpent sliced off the other's head. She tossed the body to the floor. There was one more to go. She stood completely still, glaring at the serpent. Its head started to rear back, ready to sink its bloody fangs in the flesh of the white wolf. It lunged at Amaterasu, which she had been waiting for. She dodged the attack and was now to the right of the serpent, who was now exposing its vulnerable neck. Amaterasu bit down on the serpent's neck and held on til the serpent stopped struggling.

It was still now. She dropped the lifeless body out of her jaws and started to step away from the corpses. Their blood was atrocious and her sensitive nose could not stand it any longer. She used her Celestial Brush to draw two, straight, vertical lines, which caused it to rain all of a sudden.

A: At least the smell is a little more bearable now.

"That was freaky. Those snakes were the biggest that I've ever seen! They look like they've been bewitched or something. Man, that stinks! Get me out of here, furball! The smell is starting to make me dizzy now."

Amaterasu looked around the forest hoping that everything was okay. Thinking about those serpents gave her the chills. She walked by the entrance of the Tsuta Ruins and suddenly stopped. She sensed vibrations in the floor that were coming from the ruins. Amaterasu slowly walked to the entrance and stood before it.

"What are you looking at, furball? Hey, wait a sec...I can feel it too, Ammy! There's something in there and there is only one way to find out what it is! Well, Ammy? You going in, or what?"

A: Of course I'm going in! And don't think I'll run away, either!

* * *

The ruins were more ruined than before. But there was something unnatural about it. 

"Look at the walls of the ruins. There's something unnatural about the walls. I mean, its as if the earth was forced to smash through the walls."

The rocks were like pikes that went right through the walls of the ruins and more of them were smashing through as well. Amaterasu looked around and saw a Konohana blossom. She was sure there was something in the statue. She needs to make her way to the top of the statue so she can enter. Amaterasu used her vine power to get to the top. The top of the statue was closed up but the hooks were still there making it possible to get inside. It opened up and Amaterasu jumped inside. The vibrations were a lot stronger inside the statue. She made her way down a long hall and came across a door. This was starting to remind of the battle with the Spider Queen.

"Okay, furball. Here we are. I'm getting the creeps from this place but I know you won't run away. We need to find out what's beyond this door so...We are going in!"

Amaterasu stepped through the door and walked down a small path. There was a ledge but this time she saw it. She jumped down to the platform below and looked around. A dragon was here all right. He stood with his back against Amaterasu. He was an earthy brown color with spikes running down his back and ended at the tail. The tip of the tail had a huge spiked ball. He looked sturdy and stable with the way he was standing. Compared to Hakuzo, his neck was shorter and somewhat thicker. He turned to Amaterasu and his earthy green eyes met hers. There was something she didn't like about his eyes. It felt like they had a shade of black mixed in with their natural color.

"I see you made it here. Why are you here?" he said aggresively.

"We are here to stop you! Your father sensed you here so we came here."

"Hmph...My father is foolish to send a wolf after me. As if I, Tutsoku the Earth dragon, would lose to a you! You are going to regret ever coming here."

"The earth dragon? What do you do, make flowers and plants grow?" taunted Issun.

A: Nice one, Issun! Increase our chance of getting killed by pissing him off!

The dragon let out a grunt and spread out his claws in the earth. Amaterasu saw tips of pointed rocks roll in the ground. She started to run away from the rocks because when they got close, they rose up like they were huge pikes. The rocks stopped and Tutsoku charged toward Amaterasu, hoping to hurt her with his horns. Amaterasu's quick reflexes helped her avoid the charging dragon. Tutsoku growled as if in frustration. He made a huge rock rise from the earth and flung it to Amaterasu.

A: A projectile...All projectiles can be returned with Power Slash!

Which is exactly what she did and the huge dragon was hit with the huge projectile. The impact sent him back a few yards away from where he was standing and he looked kind of dizzy.

"How did she manage to send my rock back at me?" he thought.

Amaterasu then began to attack him with combos from her mirror, the Solar Flare. He felt somewhat paralyzed and had to take in the attacks of the white wolf. He was finally able to move and layed a blow to Amaterasu. Well, he thought he hit her. He looked closely and saw that Amaterasu raised up a shield to protect herself. His claw ended up hitting another reflector. Amaterasu took this opportunity to use Power Slash again. He began to move the ground under her so she wouldn't run away and he tried to slash her with his claws. Amaterasu jumped out of harm's way, which is what he wanted. Now that her back is turned against him, he used another rock to hit her. The rock sailed across the platform, ready to strike Amaterasu but, instead, when it got close to her, it went to another direction, which was right back to Tutsoku. And, once again, he felt paralyzed from the impact.

"Impossible!" thought Tutsoku. "How did she know it was going to hit her? She didn't even see it! This wolf isn't what it seems to be."

Amaterasu turned around to lay more combos to the paralyzed dragon. She attacked without hesitation and used her Celestial Brush as well to better defeat this dragon. She stopped attacking and jumped back a few feet. Tutsoku then collapsed to the floor.

"Ammy! Now's the chance to use your Solar Blade! C'mon, before anything else happens!"

Amaterasu took out the pure white glaive and raised it up high. She ran back to the dragon and slashed him with glowing sword. At that moment, it seemed as if Tutsoku was split into two dragons. One as black as the dark sky and the other an earthy brown color. The shadowy dragon with its glowing green eyes let out a snarl and took to the sky and it dissapeared into thin air.

"That was weird. Hey, are you okay?"

Tutsoku looked at Amaterasu and replied, "I'm fine now, thanks to you both."

"Well, I think you should head to your father. He seems to be in pain. He's at Shinshu Field."

"Thank you. I hope I didn't cause any trouble. I felt like I was possessed by a dark spirit and I was right."

Tutsoku then dissappeared into the ground. Amaterasu felt calm.

"You know the drill, furball. Give me one of those famous howls of yours!"

Amaterasu then howled to show that she did well but then...Tutsoku comes back.

"Sorry, but where's Shinshu Field?"

Issun pointed with his hand and Amaterasu pointed with her paw.

"It's north from here."

"Thanks again." and he dissappeared once again.

Amaterasu then left the ruins. She knew exactly where to go next and that was Taka Pass.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Omen in the Breeze

Taka Pass was, predictably, cursed. Amaterasu made her way to a long cavern to get to a higher elevation where the Guardian Sapling was. Luckily, the bridge wasn't destroyed, so she just crossed to get to the withered tree. Beautiful cherry blossoms appeared on the tree and Amaterasu saw its power fighting off the curse. She breathed in the clean air but another wind began to blow. It was a cold wind that made her tremble as if something was behind her. She looks behind her but nothing was there.

A: A wind like that always means that there are monsters near by but...There's nothing.

She felt the ground shake and, AGAIN, Tutsoku appears.

"What is it NOW?!?! Can't you see we're busy?"

Tutsoku's eyes had anger in them and replied, "Don't raise your voice to me. I only came back to thank Amaterasu."

"You already did! It was at the ruins. Stop being such a kiss-up!"

"That apology wasn't worthy of Amaterasu. So, Amaterasu, you're a god, are you not? My father told me about you. Well, I want to give you a gift. Now, hold still..."

Amaterasu could feel his power. It was as if his power had turned to an unconcious hand that was scrolling through books that were her brush techniques.

"Amaterasu...I will increase the power of your cherry bomb. Just draw one cherry bomb and you'll see what it will do. I hope I'll see you again, Amaterasu."

"So, Ammy...Lets see what he did with your cherry bomb. I hope this isn't a trick! And I definitely hope that he was just saying that and not give you anything at all!"

A: You can be too suspicious, Issun.

Amaterasu drew a cherry bomb and there was definitely something different about it. It was as white as Amaterasu herself and when it exploded, the blast radius was tremendous. This power somehow looked familiar...Shiranui! Shiranui was the one who had this great cherry bomb brush technique. (In the game, you might see Shiranui draw a cherry bomb when you're fighting the two owls).

"Wow! That was really something! Guess we can really trust those dragons when they want to give us something."

A: You mean YOU can trust those dragons.

That wind began to blow again. Amaterasu looked around but, again, there was nothing. She began to think if Kusa Village was okay. She walked toward the direction of Kusa Village. It was strange, though, because that cold wind kept blowing. She just ignored it but then she heard footsteps right behind her...She quickly turns around and was greeted with those despicable eyes of the serpents. Except, this time, it wasn't the serpents but a strange, black lizard that looked like it lost its hind legs. Green liquid was dripping from its sharp teeth and it sizzled when it hit the ground.

"I think thats venom, Ammy. What ever you do, don't get bit!"

The lizard was growling and it began to circle Amaterasu. She watched carefully, not taking her eyes off this new hateful creature. She charged forth and struck the lizard. It rolled but it quickly got back to its feet and it did clumsy attempts to bite Amaterasu. Seeing this, Amaterasu ran away and it's not because she was afraid. The lizard just wasn't worth fighting and she didn't want to waste her time fighting such a pathetic creature. She was actually hoping that it would be a bit more challenging than the serpents. She let out a sigh and continued toward Kusa Village.

* * *

Amaterasu was hoping for a nice breeze in Kusa Village but not a whole lot of it! It was too windy and it looked like the wind will tear the roofs of the houses. She felt it. It was the coldness she felt before. This is where the cold winds were blowing from. Amaterasu looked up toward the big windmill. It was turning but there was a strange dark cloud around it. 

"This looks bad. Maybe Princess Fuse knows what's going on here."

She ran to where Princess Fuse's house was but running was really tough to do since the wind seemed to try to push her in another direction. Every now and then Issun will be blown off Amaterasu's head and she had to go and get him. Finally, and with relief, the two of them made it to the Satomi House. They entered and were greeted with many happy barks of the Canine Warriors.

"Amaterasu! Thank goodness that you have finally come! I'm relieved to see that you're doing well."

"Hey, sweetness! Are the Canine Warriors still in line?"

"Yes, they are but the Gale Shrine isn't doing too well."

"You're talking about that weird black cloud, aren't you? Well, it's not going to be too hard for Ammy since she could do practically anything!"

"I was praying for Amaterasu to come and save us from this evil that has taken over the Gale Shrine."

"Before anything happens, is there a dragon in the shrine?"

"Why, yes, there is but how did you know?"

"It's a long story. I'm pretty sure what dragon is occupying the shrine."

"This new evil is too much for the Canine Warriors and if it is not stopped, Kusa Village will become a horrid cursed zone. That's why the windmill is still turning because the dragon wants the evil and darkness in the wind to blow throughout the land."

"And if it keeps blowing, the evil in the air will get stronger and eventually turn into a cursed zone. This dragon's a mastermind!"

"The dragon raised up a barrier and won't let anyone inside the shrine. We need to find a way to break through the barrier."

"Why don't we use the Satomi Power Orbs? I remember when they broke through the barrier when Crimson Helm was in the shrine."

"I have already tried but this evil power is not like I have ever seen before! Please, Amaterasu, save us with your divine light. Rid us of this darkness that threatens to curse the land!"

"Don't worry! We'll find some way or another to break through the barrier and get rid of that dragon."

Amaterasu turned and ran outside. She ran across some small bridges and up a long path that led to the entrance of the Gale Shrine. Amaterasu and Issun looked at the barrier and, suddenly, the Solar Blade wielded itself and cut through the barrier. It had cleansed the barrier of darkness. It was obvious that the sword can be used for more than purifying dragons. The air inside the shrine was full of the powerful evil. Amaterasu walked through the cavernous shrine. She came across some pillars that collapsed but looked like a ladder to get to the inner shrine. The darkness got thicker and thicker the deeper she went through the shrine.

At last, they came to a big room. There were eight pillars and a great altar which looked empty now without the Serpent Crystal. Amaterasu looked around, but the room was empty...Or so she thought. She felt a strong wind blow and right before her very eyes, a tornado appeared. The tornado stopped and there stood a sky blue dragon. This dragon had no fore legs but stood upright. And, like the other dragons, it also had spines that streamlined its body. Its tail was rather short and had great, powerful wings. It seemed as if the dragon was all wing. The eyes were also sky blue but had a shade of dark grey in them and that also goes for the rest of its body.

"You are not an ordinary wolf if you were able to break through my barrier. You must have a death wish if you want to fight me!"

"Like your wind was going to slow us down! You will have to do better than that if you want to stop us."

"No matter for I, Akira, the dragon of the winds, will not be bested so easily. You will regret coming here and facing me!"

Akira began to flap her powerful wings and a great gust began to blow at Amaterasu. Akira then began to charge unbelievably fast with her jaws open, ready to seize the white wolf in its clutches. Amaterasu quickly used Veil of Mist to slow down the fast dragon. She saw that there was annoyance and frustration in Akira's eyes as if she hated to be slowed down. Apparently her only legs are very strong and long which allowed her to run so fast. Akira then crashed into a pillar, destroying it with ease.

She then took to the air and began to flap her wings once again. She made a small tornado but Amaterasu redirected it with Galestorm, sending the tornado back at Akira. Akira blocked it with her great wings but Amaterasu saw that it had weakened her a bit. This gave her an idea. Whirlwind is not a tornado but it will do for now. Amaterasu used her Whirlwind power which instaneously struck Akira's wings which she used to shield herself. Akira then crashed onto the floor but immediately stood up. She is too weak to fly now but even though she no longer has the sky, she still had her speed. She attempted once again to attack Amaterasu with her invincible speed. But then she felt like she was slowing down again.

"How is this possible?" she thought. "I only slow down whenever this mist appears. Unless, this is one of that wolf's tricks!"

Akira saw herself move incredibly slow compared to the quick and agile Amaterasu. Akira couldn't understand how she was moving slow but not the wolf. Amaterasu began to attack Akira as time was still slowing down. But when time was back on its normal speed, Akira then kicked at Amaterasu with her strong legs. Amaterasu fell back a couple feet away and looked at the wound the dragon's claws left her. It wasn't deep but it was bleeding. Amaterasu let out a snarl and gave a look that had a 'you'll regret that' look on it. She began to move with graceful agility and began to unleash combos on the dragon. If Akira tried to defend herself with her wings, Amaterasu might be able to break them in the state that she's in. Akira helplessly took the beating.

Amaterasu then stopped and looked at the wounded dragon. They both looked into each other's eyes and it seemed as if the evil in the dragon's eyes had begun to fade away. Amaterasu took up the Solar Blade and layed one, final blow to the wind dragon. Like Tutsoku, a black spirit split away from Akira, who was now a magnificent sky blue, and let out a defeated roar and dissappeared into air. The wind dragon layed on the floor as if it had been knocked unconcious but she woke up in no time.

"Who are you, white wolf? How were you able to save me from that black spirit?"

"This is the great god, Amaterasu! And we saved you thanks to the Solar Blade."

"Solar Blade? Hm...I sense my father's light inside this sword but also a more powerful one."

"That's Ammy's power right there. I think you should leave now because I think the people of this village might want to kill you."

"Thank you, the both of you."

"Hakuzo and your brother are in Shinshu Field, I should think. You know where that is, do you?"

"Indeed, I do. But before I leave I want to repay Amaterasu. Amaterasu, use this new wind in your grave quest. I know it will truly help you."

With that Akira dissappeared in a tornado of wind and was gone. Amaterasu used Galestorm and saw that it was more powerful than before. Amaterasu then headed out of the Gale Shrine and she walked down a path to the Satomi House. She entered it and was greeted with barks from the Canine Warriors and a face of happiness and relief from Princess Fuse.

"Amaterasu! You're hurt! Here let me help you. I'll bandage it and it won't take long, okay?"

"Don't worry about ol' Ammy here. This is probably nothing to her! She will be right back on her feet before you know it!"

"Still...It will be my way of thanking you two. The dark cloud over the Gale Shrine has dissappeared and there's no more evil in the air! It's the least I could do."

Princess Fuse bandaged Amaterasu and the Canine Warriors and the princess said goodbye to her. Amaterasu ran out of the village to Taka Pass leaving behind a trail of flowers. She had a feeling that a water dragon will be in Ryoshima Coast, and what worried her the most is if the Dragon Palace had suffered from the dragon.

A: I must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Black Waters, Black Clouds

Amaterasu ran to the City Checkpoint, whose famous for the Big Drawbridge, and once there she crossed the great bridge, went down a path, and went through a cave until she was greeted by the sun's rays. The once beautiful blue waters of Ryoshima Coast were black and the sands were a dark grey color. Amaterasu ran down a path and came across a pond. She jumped a ledge and saw that the pond up here wasn't dried up. She continued up and saw the withered Guardian Sapling but it wasn't small. It was the same size as she had left it before. With the power of Greensprout, she made the Guardian Sapling blossom with beautiful, pink cherry blossoms. The sapling's power spread about the area, cleaning the water and the air of the impurity that inslaved them.

"Alright! That curse is out of here. And look, the sunken ship is still there. Looking at it reminds me of the busty babe. (sigh). Oh, well, we should get going now. We need to find those other dragons."

A sparkling light appeared only to reveal Waka.

"Oh, great, it's you again! We're busy dispelling the curse and doing business here!"

"What a fabulous mood you're in today, my little bouncing friend. I was just talking to that white dragon, Hakuzo, and I found out that this curse is from a chaos dragon."

"We know that already, you half-baked prophet."

"Well, it seems that the black spirits the dragon had sent must be doing a errand for him and I'm not quite sure what. Neither does Hakuzo know. It turns out the dragon's name Ayako."

"Ayako?"

A cold wind began to blow.

"This Ayako is stronger than that of Orochi and he might try to get any source of power in his clutches."

He stopped and was looking at Amaterasu. It seems the bandage she had had caught his attention.

"Got into a fight, have you, Amaterasu? It must be some fight if you were able to get injured. Amaterasu, don't get yourself killed by fighting. The world can't afford to lose you again. We really need you know."

"Like we don't know that already! Why don't you make like a tree and leave? We have enough to do as it is and I don't want to deal with you now."

"Fine. I'll see you again soon, ma cherie."

He disappeared and was gone. Amaterasu went down to the golden sands of Ryoshima Coast. She stood next to the water. There's something about the water that seemed to make her tremble. It felt as if the water was trying to get higher, pass her knees, and pull her in to drown her. And it definetely felt like the waves were pulling her in. Her ears pricked up. The sound of footsteps. She turned in the direction where the sound was coming from and saw a man, his clothes were drenched and covered in blood. He fell to the ground and Amaterasu ran to his aide.

"What happened to you!? Never mind. Lets go get some help. Hurry, furball! It's a race against time."

Amaterasu took the man and headed toward Sei-an City, where there was most likely to be a doctor. She ran through the streets, ignoring the shocked and terrified faces of other people. She came to a building and looked at a sign that was hanging above it. She clawed at the door and, when no one came nor looking, she broke the door down with her head. Amaterasu thought that was going to knock her out but luckily it didn't. A woman began to scream from the sight of blood on the man. Amaterasu puts him down gently and looked at all the people who were getting help and bringing in the doctor.

"My goodness! This man is seriously injured! Bring him in to the back room and I'll take care of it."

People were hurrying and moving about. They picked up the man and was gone from Amaterasu's sight.

* * *

Amaterasu waited for an hour. She was pacing back and forth. Though she barely met the man, she is a goddess and must help her people. Besides, she really wanted to know what exactly happened to him. She heard footsteps and saw the door open. The doctor stepped out and he looked quite relieved. 

"You're such a good dog, saving a man's life."

"What on earth happened to that guy?"

"He told me everything. Apparently, he was fishing in a boat until he felt something sank his boat. He said it was four-legged but it had fins. You know...like the top fins of a fish. It had webbed claws and was the color of sea itself. It had sharp teeth and he said the eyes were a beautiful deep blue color, like its scale color. It was attacking him in the water. Biting him, scratching him, and it was trying to drown him. He said that when he was trying to swim away, it felt like the water was trying to pull him the other way...to the dragon."

"He said it was a dragon? Looks like we found dragon #3, furball."

"Well the man was lucky to get out alive. And this isn't the first that this has happened."

"What!?"

"We've been getting word of attacks like these not long ago. Most of the attacks were fatal but that's not the least of our worries."

Amaterasu heard loud booms outside.

"We have also been getting a lot of storms lately as well. I don't understand why we have to suffer again after that mist has dissappeared."

Amaterasu bowed her head, in a way to say goodbye, and ran through the door. There was storm coming all right. She could sense it.

The doctor looked worried after Amaterasu left. A nurse asked him if he was all right and he replied,

"I'm just worried about the wolf. I just hope that she doesn't run into those creatures."

Amaterasu ran through the streets of Sei-an and passed the city gate. She went down a path until she came to the border. The guards saw her and...they recognized her. The gate opened up and she went through. Amaterasu ran to the golden shoreline of N. Ryoshima Coast. She stopped and looked at the water. It was murky as if someone dumped ink into it. She turned her direction toward where she last saw the whirlpool that led to the Dragon Palace.

A: It's gone...and that's not a good sign.

"Ammy! Look up there!"

Amaterasu looked up at the sky, searching for what Issun had seen.

A: A black cloud? No, wait...that's not a cloud.

What was supposedly a cloud was actually strange flying reptiles. They looked like tiny versions of Akira, the wind dragon, except they were black and they didn't have horns on top of their heads. They had needlelike teeth that can be seen even if they shut their mouths. Their claws were razor sharp and the tail was pointed. The tail...there's something about the tail.

There were ten of them. Amaterasu readied her rosary, Tundra Beads, and waited for them to come to striking distance. The lead reptile let out a screech and all of them began to dive down toward the god. She flicked her rosary and began to attack the reptiles. She hit three of them with the first strike and they hit the ground. But they weren't easily stopped. They just took off into the air and the reptiles began to fly in unison. Amaterasu shot some rosary beads and was moving about to keep her distance. The lead reptile started to dive and it stuck out its tail. Amaterasu moved in the nick of time and saw the tail, which looked like a scorpion's, come inches next to the left side of her face. She swung her rosary and the impact instantly killed the reptile.

The other reptiles, seeing their leader dead, began to hesitate whether to fight or flee. Seven of them decided to flee (a wise choice) leaving the other three alone to fight the god. Amaterasu took out her glaive, the Thunder Strike, and struck two of the reptiles in one swing. The last reptile began to fly away until it felt a powerful shock go through its body and it fell to the ground. The smell of charred flesh filled the air. Amaterasu's thunder brush technique stopped it from getting away. She looked closely at the tail and saw a strange liquid coming out of the stinger.

A:Venom. I'm glad I used my rosary to dispose these things.

The sky was dark with black clouds and the lightning flashed about everywhere. Amaterasu looked at the sea again and saw something she didn't see before. An island. There was an island far off in the distance. It wasn't like Oni Island but it was pretty big. Amaterasu ran toward the pier and looked around, hoping Orca will come once again. He wasn't coming. She made the sun reappear in the sky and its solar rays lighted up the murky water just a bit. Both Issun and Amaterasu saw splashes and saw the blue-pink whale swimming towards them. He swam as close as he could to the pier and stuck his blue head out of the water and began to smile.

"I'm so glad you two have finally come! Hop on! I'll take you straight to the Dragon Palace!"

"Hey, wait a minute. How are we supposed to get there if the whirlpool is gone?"

"Don't worry about that. Come on, I need to take you to Otohime."

"Looks like someone is missing us, furball! Let's get going, then! We don't want to keep her waiting!"

Amaterasu jumped on Orca's back and he swam to where the whirlpool once was. He stopped and a smaller whirlpool appeared before them. Orca swam right into it and Amaterasu could see the whirlpool close up from behind. They swam to the depths of the sea until they got to the entrance of the Dragon Palace. Orca stopped swimming and Amaterasu jumped off his back and bowed to him, saying thank you. She walked to the doors and started to bark, trying to let the Dragonians know that she's here. A female guard appeared and immediately noticed her. She gave a strange signal and the doors opened before Amaterasu.

"Hurry now," she said. "Otohime will receive you in the Throne Room."

Amaterasu ran through the echoey halls of the palace and went to the elevator which took her up to the Throne Room. She saw Otohime sitting on her throne and she looked like she was hurt. Amaterasu ran to her and sat down before the Dragonian queen.

"You're finally here, Amaterasu."

"Whoa! What happened to you, babe? You look like you got in a fight or something!"

"I did get in a fight but it wasn't an ordinary one."

"Tell us what happened."

"The waters of Ryoshima Coast have always been a lovely blue color. But they became murky ever since IT came here."

"It's the water dragon, isn't it? We heard that it was attacking everyone here."

"Yes but I'm grateful that it hasn't found the palace yet. When it came to the sea the water began to darken wherever it swam. Since we Dragonians are supposed to protect the sea, I went out and engaged combat with the dragon. I turned into a dragon myself and thought I would have the upper hand. The water dragon was small compared to me, yet I felt like this dragon was hiding something. Apparently, the water dragon can make the water do its bidding!"

"It can move the water!?"

"The dragon's power were beyond belief and I was lucky to get away alive. Whenever the dragon is angered, it causes a tidal wave of great height and drowns everything on land. It also has been attacking every living thing that enters the water. We closed up the whirlpool to keep the dragon away and it's working so far but it's only a matter of time that the water dragon will find the palace. I've also noticed the many storms we are having here in Ryoshima Coast. Perhaps something else is at work besides the water dragon."

"Oh, man. If it finds the Dragon Palace, who knows what it might do to the Dragonians!"

"But I've discovered something about the water dragon that may be useful to you, Amaterasu."

"Any bit of information will help us."

"Have you seen the island in the distant ocean? I have found out that the water dragon is quite fond of it. It is always swimming near it. But the island dissappears at sundown, when the moon is in the sky. It's not like Oni Island, which dissappears to a new location, it is always there for some reason that I'm not quite sure."

"Well then! Me and furball here will get rid of that water dragon and teach it a lesson it won't forget! You won't have to worry about the dragon, anymore."

"Are you really going to fight the water dragon!? Be careful, you two. Let me leave you with this bit of advice. You must defeat the water dragon before sundown."

"What for?"

"The water dragon's power increases when the moon rises. You won't be able to stop it if the sun has gone. And, whatever you do, don't get killed."

"Alright! Come on, Ammy. We got a date with the water dragon!"

Amaterasu, once again, did the bow of goodbye and took off to the elevator. The elevator took her down and stopped. She ran out the doors and went to where Orca was at. She jumped on his back and he swam toward the surface.

"Orca! Take us to that island way out there!"

"The water dragon's island? Are you sure about that?"

"Of course we're sure. Full speed ahead to the island!"

Orca swam as fast as he could to the island. Amaterasu nervously looked up at the sun or whatever that can be seen of it since the dark clouds were in the sky. She hoped that the battle with the water dragon won't be long. The island started to get closer and closer until Orca came to a stop some distance away from it.

"Hey! Why'd you stop?"

"I'm checking if the water dragon is around. I don't want to be killed by it!"

"I don't see anything."

"That's the point! The water dragon is the color of the sea which makes it almost impossible to spot it!"

"You have got to be kidding me! You better not swim around in the water, furball, or you might get attacked."

"Do you think you can take it from here? We're not too far away from the island."

"Heck yeah we can take it from here."

"Alright...Good luck, you two, because you're going to need it!"

Amaterasu jumped off of Orca's back and landed in the water with a splash. Her tail drew a circle in the water and a lily pad magically appeared under her. More lily pads began to appear and Amaterasu jumped on them, using them as stepping stones all the way to the island. She finally made it to the island and cautiously looked around for the water dragon. Nothing came, at least not yet. There was a wave coming in to the island. It seemed like it was getting bigger the closer it got to the island. The wave was now many times Amaterasu's height and it crashed on to the shore of the island. Amaterasu was almost washed away by it if it weren't for the lily pads. The island was flooded but the water slowly began to pull back into the ocean. Amaterasu shook off the seawater from her white coat and locked eyes with the figure before her.

There stood a beautiful dragon with ocean-blue scales. She had claws but they were webbed. She had the top fins of a fish that followed the length of her back and ended at her tail. The end of the tail was like a fish's rear tail and the dragon also had smaller fins on her fore and hind legs. Amaterasu saw the same fins on the dragon's face, one by each of the deep blue eyes. All of her fins seemed darker than that of her scales. The water dragon began to bear her razor sharp teeth to Amaterasu and Amaterasu returned the gesture.

"What business do you have here? Leave or I'll devour you where you stand!"

"The only business we have here is with you! I thought getting to this island would be hard but I guess not! If we could get here easily, it would be a sinch to beat you."

"Don't underestimate me for the tides can turn at any given moment. I, Mayumi, will make the sea mine!"

"Go for it, Ammy! Teach her a lesson for hurting Otohime!"

Amaterasu gave a little nod and readied her brush and sword. She gave out a snarl to show the dragon that she was ready. The water dragon roared and a powerful jet of water blasted out of her mouth. Amaterasu moved to the left and charged toward Mayumi and struck her with the Thunder Strike. But Mayumi counter-attacked by moving her claw. This movement cause a stream of water to hit Amaterasu rather powerfully. Amaterasu rolled on the ground but quickly got to her feet. Water and lightning clashing together as the two fought. Streams of water and bolts of lightning flying throughout the battle. Amaterasu stopped and was panting for air. Mayumi was doing the same. Amaterasu felt her feet get wet. She looked down and saw a thin layer of water over the island. She turned her gaze to the sun which was now setting over the horizon.

A: This is how the island seemed to dissappear! The sea would flood the island at sundown, but the sunrise would make the waters draw back.

The moon was barely visible through the thick clouds.

"Well, well. Looks like the sun has setted. With the power of the moon, I'll shall kill you for trespassing my sea!"

"What do you mean 'with the power of the moon'?"

"The moon has the power to move the ocean's tides and currents. If it could change the water's movements, think of how I'll be able to move the water."

The water was steadily rising and was now at Amaterasu's knees. A lily pad appeared from under her feet and didn't take her eyes off the water dragon. Mayumi then dived into the water and was gone from Amaterasu's sight. Amaterasu felt a great force from under her that it knocked her into the water. She was underwater and frantically searched for the dragon. Amaterasu felt her need to breath and began to swim to the surface. Then there was this sudden pain from her left leg and she looked to see what. Mayumi had sunk her teeth into Amaterasu's leg and was pulling her deeper into the water. Amaterasu struggled to make the dragon release her grip but the dragon still held on. The Solar Blade then, once again, wielded itself and slashed the dragon but it didn't purify Mayumi. The water dragon then released Amaterasu from her grip. Amaterasu quickly swam to the surface and began to take in the cool air in her lungs.

Amaterasu was panting. Another lily pad appeared under her feet. She looked into the water wondering what happened to the water dragon. Amaterasu then saw a fin appear over the water. It was the water dragon. The fin was circling around Amaterasu. Amaterasu was trying to think of a way to stop the dragon, a way that would weaken Mayumi but not kill her. The dragon jumped out of the water, heading straight to Amaterasu, with claws ready. Mayumi then saw a trail of fire out of nowhere that hit her face. She let out a roar of pain and crashed into the water. Her claws were feeling for the place where the fire hit her. Her face was burned but it wasn't bad. Mayumi looked at the lily pad from under the water and had a look of fury on her face. She swam as fast as she could toward the lily pad and struck it with force. Mayumi looked around, triumphantly, for the wolf that is in the water again.

"What? Where is that mutt?"

She heard something that came from behind her and she turned around, already knowing who it is. Amaterasu's glaive slashed at Mayumi five times before Amaterasu swam back to the surface. Amaterasu breathed in the air once again. For some strange reason, she looked at the moon. It was blood red, looking very horrific. She wished she could make the sun reappear but the dark clouds made it impossible. She heard a splash and her head looked in the direction from which it came. Mayumi started to open her mouth and Amaterasu saw a jet of water come out. Time felt like it slowed down and Amaterasu didn't use Veil of Mist. Amaterasu began to trace lightning from her sword to the water that was heading for her. The lightning followed the trail of water and started to electrucute Mayumi. Amaterasu closed her eyes and she heard the roaring of the dragon and then heard a tremendous splash. Amaterasu opened her eyes then dived into the water. She grabbed the sinking water dragon with her teeth and brought her to shore. Amaterasu took out the Solar Blade and sliced the dragon, seperating the evil spirit that possessed Mayumi.

The evil spirit glared at Amaterasu, let out a snarl, then jumped into the water and was gone. Amaterasu looked at the water dragon. She then looked at the sea. The sea was a magnificent blue and it looked more pure than it was before. The moon was still blood red and the clouds were still in the sky. Amaterasu sensed evil in the clouds but how can she be able to rid evil from the air? She heard a boom of thunder and a lightning bolt struck the ground. The floor was trembling like that of an earthquake. Where the lightning bolt struck now stood a yellow dragon. It looked somewhat like the water dragon except it had wings and it didn't have the smaller fins or webbed claws. However, the dragon did have that strange top fin-like thing running down its back but the tail was the symbol of lightning. Amaterasu saw sparks from the dragon's body and her eyes stared at the orange pair of eyes that were returning the stare.

"You must be the wolf goddess who wields the sword of light."

"And who might you be?"

"I'm Nagura, the great dragon of thunder. I was foolish to think that Mayumi would be able to kill you. And here she is, laying on the floor like a little weakling! What a foolish thought...relying on the power of the moon. However, she's family and I will avenge her loss to you!"

"Well bring it on! We ain't afraid of you!"

Nagura claws had sparks in them and she lunged forward to Amaterasu. Amaterasu jumped and the claws hit the earth, letting out powerful sparks of lightning. Nagura pulled back her claws from the scorched earth. She lunged again but Amaterasu jumped.

"Never give your oppenent a chance to strike!" yelled Nagura as her claws struck the airborne wolf.

Amaterasu let out a yelp and hit the floor hard. She got back up and saw a pair of horns heading straight for her. The horns rammed Amaterasu and was flung to the floor once again. Nagura was very strong, stronger than her sisters. She does look bigger than her sisters and her power will probably rival her brother Tutsoku. Amaterasu got up and saw the horns again. This time Amaterasu moved to the left and sent a stream of water to the dragon's side. The water seemed to short circuit the sparks that Nagura was giving off. Amaterasu's sword dissappeared and the Solar Flare took its place. The reflector struck Nagura leaving burn marks on the dragon's scales. Nagura's tail moved like a whip and hit Amaterasu. Amaterasu was sent a few spaces back and she looked at the wound. It was on her side. Nagura's tail was surprisingly sharp, maybe because it looked like the thunder symbol.

Nagura took to the air and was flying a couple of yards above the ground. Her wings were flapping and it looked like thunder clouds were forming from the sparks her wings were giving off. A bolt of lightning shot from her mouth and barely missed Amaterasu. Amaterasu looked like she was thinking, thinking of a way to defeat the dragon so she could purify her. She looked at the sea and had an idea. Amaterasu jumped into the air and her reflector hit Nagura sending the dragon back a bit. Nagura, still airborne, began to send more bolts of lightning at Amaterasu. Amaterasu did her best to avoid them and continued to jump and hit the thunder dragon. It kept going for what seemed like an eternity to Amaterasu but was actually twenty gruelling minutes. Amaterasu looked at the water of the sea and saw Nagura's reflection in the water. Amaterasu jumped as high as she could and headbutted the dragon with all her might.

Amaterasu then bit the dragon on the neck and brought her down to the water. There was a spash and sparks could be seen from the water's surface. Mayumi finally came to, just in time to see the white wolf and yellow dragon fall into the water. She struggled to her feet and she closed her eyes. The water understanded her message and then Amaterasu and Nagura were washed up on the shore. Mayumi ran to Amaterasu and moved her claws above Amaterasu's stomach. The strange movement made the water from within Amaterasu leave from her mouth. Amaterasu let out a sneeze and woke up.

"Now Amaterasu. Purify my sister while you have the chance!"

The Solar Blade's handle was in Amaterasu's mouth and she let the white blade slash the thunder dragon. The black spirit, now seperated from its owner, looked furious. It was as if it wasn't finished with something. Its angry eyes glared at Amaterasu and took to the air without a sound. Mayumi did the same claw movement she did with Amaterasu on Nagura. Nagura let out a cough and opened her eyes. She got up and looked around, observing everything. The sun was rising and the clouds started to dissappear when the rays hit them. The moon, no longer blood red, was a glorious white and slowly dissappeared as the sun rose higher in the sky.

"Well, Amaterasu, you did a perfect job at helping me and my sister," said Mayumi. "As a reward, I'll give you this. You now have the ability to walk on water. Aren't you going to give her something, Nagura?"

"I'll think about it," she replied.

"What!? After all we went through, you're not going to give us something!?" yelled Issun.

"Fine! I'll give your reward after you help my other brothers."

"Other brothers?"

"Yes. Fire and ice. I'm not sure where they are but you can figure that out, can't you?"

"Of course we can! Now go to Shinshu Field already! I'm mad at you 'cuz you're not giving us a reward right now."

"Come on, Mayumi. The little bug doesn't want me around so let's leave."

"Little bug!? You're going to regret calling me that!"

"We'll see." chuckled Nagura.

Mayumi jumped into the water and began to swim while Nagura flapped her wings and started to fly through the air.

"Well, Ammy we should go tell Otohime that we accomplished our mission. Well...this mission to purify the water dragon."

* * *

So everyone gets the picture, my dragons are western aka European dragons. well that's it for chapter 5. where exactly are the fire and ice dragons? only chapter 6 will reveal that! 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Blazing Fire and Freezing Ice

Amaterasu rode on Orca's back and noticed that the great whirlpool has appeared again. Orca swam into the whirlpool and made it to the bottom of the sea. Amaterasu disembarked and ran through the doors of the Dragon Palace, where Otohime worriedly waited. When she went inside the palace the guards were thanking and praising her for her good deeds. Though Amaterasu was used to this kind of praise, she couldn't help but feel very proud for what she had done. After all, if she hadn't done anything or came at all, everyone would have suffered from the possessed dragons. But she HAD to do it, not just for the people, but also for Hakuzo. These dragons are his children and there's still two more left.

"Amaterasu! You did it! You have rid us of the water dragon! I sensed it. The sea is now clean of impurity but...isn't it purer than before?"

"I think it is. I'm not sure how but for some reason it is. Oh, and we also got rid of the thunder dragon."

"Thunder dragon?"

"Yeah. The thunder dragon was the one causing all those storms here. It's kind of obvious that the sky would clear up after we purified Nagura."

"Hm...I thought the storms would dissappear some time ago. I didn't know that there was dragon behind that as well."

"Well, I would love to stay here and chat with you all day but Ammy and I need to go somewhere. Take care of yourself, would ya?"

"No need to worry anymore. I pray for your safety on your perilous journey!"

Amaterasu ran down the halls of the palace and was outside rather quick. For Orca to swim close to the land took only five minutes and Amaterasu was quite happy to feel her feet on dry land again. She continued to run and Ryoshima Coast was now behind her. She made it to Taka Pass in twenty minutes or so and she still didn't stop running. The air was blowing against her fur which felt very refreshing. But then she stopped. This sudden stop almost made Issun fall of her head.

"Hey! Why'd you stop?! You almost made me fall off!"

Something was coming and she didn't like it. Was it more of those aggressive, flying, little reptiles again? No...it was something else. Something bigger. Powerful. And, possibly, deadly. A black mass appeared before Amaterasu's eyes and began to take shape. Into a dragon. Although the sun was shining brightly, the dragon's face wasn't clear.

A: Yellow eyes...no...it's him!

It was the same dragon that had cursed the Celestial Plain. But Amaterasu could sense something different about him. He was stronger than he was before when he appeared on the heavenly plain.

"You're becoming quite a nuisance now. I've grown quite tired of you interfering with my plans!" said the dragon.

"You're Ayako, aren't you? We heard all about you!"

"That's good to know because, soon, I'll become the great ruler of this world!"

"I don't think so! The only person who could rule this world is Ammy! Wait a sec...you said something about plans. What plans are you talking about!?"

"You have, no doubt, come across my creations. My power wasn't strong enough to create my race of dark dragons thus creating a serpent. My next creation was no better. It looked like a lizard who was missing some limbs. My recent one was rather close. The dragonets are more useful than my other experiments. Though they are small, they are still deadly, especially in great numbers. Of course, I would have made the perfect dragon if you hadn't purified the element dragons so soon! The black spirits that possess them are supposed to take their power as well as their lives."

"You were planning to kill them!?"

"Why, of course! If I just took away their power, they will still be standing in my way. But, thanks to you, they are now! I need to get every bit of power in this world and you are more of a threat than the other dragons! If I get rid of you now, I won't have to worry about anymore interferences!"

Ayako readied his teeth and claws and did a quick lunge at Amaterasu. The Solar Blade suddenly protected Amaterasu. The blade was in the dragon's mouth and white sparks flashed. The sparks looked like it was electrocuting him in some weird way. Amaterasu held the glaive and used her strength, in conjuction with the sword's, to defend herself. Ayako finally pulled back, mouth dripping with blood.

"You're stronger than I thought. No matter. I'll kill you one of these days and this isn't a threat. It's a promise."

He dissappeared. Amaterasu looked around to see if it wasn't just some optical illusion. She was expecting Issun to say something but he didn't say a word. Amaterasu started to walk, and was soon running again. She ran through Agata Forest and arrived at Shinshu Field. She didn't know where the other dragons were at but maybe Hakuzo knows. She went to where the Guardian Sapling was which was where she last saw him. Surely enough, he was there with four of his children. Mayumi was swimming in the river, while Tutsoku began to make plants grow on a patch of dirt. Seeing Amaterasu, he started to move rocks around. Akira was running swiftly through the field, looking like she was having fun and she was. Nagura was playing with dirt and climbing up tall trees as if she was trying to prove something. Probably that any girl can climb a tree.

"Hey, Hakuzo!"

"Hello, Amaterasu and Issun. Thank you for bringing back four of my children but there are still two more missing."

"We know, okay? But we have a bit of a problem. You see, we have no idea where the other two are!"

"Do not worry. I know where they are."

"Really? Tell us! The sooner, the better."

"My last two children, fire and ice, are North of here."

"North? Do you mean Kamuii? Of course...the last place to check."

"Amaterasu...there's a strange scent on you. It's the scent of Ayako. Did you come across Ayako!?"

"Um...yeah. We did. And we have to purify your other two children before they die!"

"What do you mean 'die'?"

"Ayako told us that the evil spirits that possess your children are taking away their power and their life too."

Hakuzo looked down and was quiet for some time. He looked back at Amaterasu and his eyes told her to leave...now. He wanted all his children to be alive and he wants her to save his last two. Amaterasu ran off and headed toward Kamuii. During the trip there, something occured to her. Hakuzo looked somewhat different. His color was no longer that beautiful white but a light gray. What was happening to him? Amaterasu didn't think too much about it. Right now, her concerns are to save the last two dragons.

* * *

Kamuii was still as cold as ever. 

"And for today's forecast, it looks like another day of snow."

A: Still as funny as ever, Issun.

Another blizzard was blowing throughout the land. The falling snow made it difficult for Amaterasu to keep her eyes opened. She just closed her eyes and started to walk through the snow, using her other senses to guide her. She walked on, hoping that she was close to the village of Wep'keer. But, sadly, she wasn't. There was still a way to go before she could arrive at the Oina village. She continued to blindly walk on. As she walked, her paw stepped on the snow. She pulled back her paw and touched the snow again. It felt wet as if it was melting. How is that possible? Kamuii is a land of ice and snow. How can the snow melt here? But she continued onward. She traveled some distance through the wet snow, until she felt what was grass. And is that the sun hitting her fur? She opened her eyes and saw that the blizzard was no longer blowing. The snow and ice has dissappeared and was replaced by grass and dirt.

She looked behind her. It was a strange sight. The blizzard was there, blowing fiercely. But here it was warm. Amaterasu looked at the sky and saw the sun, shining brightly. She looked around, to see where exactly she was. She ran down a path and saw a lake with a small piece of land in the middle of it. The ice has obviously melted. In the distance she could see a small bridge. That bridge led to Wep'keer. She was now running, seeing the bridge come closer and closer. She felt her feet hit the wood that made the bridge and soon they were back on grass and dirt. The slope was easier to climb now, since the slippery snow wouldn't make you slip down. Wep'keer was different now that the snow and ice has gone. But what is causing this? She went to the Kemu's house but then she remembered that he was no longer chief of the village. Still, he's the elder and he'll have some information about this. She went through his door and saw him staring at where there was once a fire.

"Hey, Kemu!"

"Issun? And Shiranui? What are you two doing back in Kamuii?"

"Um, it's not Shiranui. This is Amaterasu! We're back because we were sent here by a friend."

"That's good to know. We really need your help Shir-, I mean, Amaterasu. Two dragons have been rampaging here. One of them is controlling the north and west, and another is controlling the south and east. That is why it so warm here and the south is cold."

"So the fire dragon is somewhere around here and the ice dragon is south from here."

"Fire and ice dragons? Well, if such things exist, we have to get rid of them, one way or another."

"They do exist! You said they were here, so that proves it!"

"Don't raise your voice to me, Issun!"

"Sorry. But can't you get rid of them yourself, old man?"

"I've tried and so did little Lika. If she can't do it, we have no hope!"

"Not even Lika could get rid of them!? You really are in a fix if her prayers can't do it. No matter! I'm sure Amaterasu can handle it, but I think we're are going to need some help, though."

"Samickle and Oki have tried to slay them but, sadly, they failed."

"They're not dead, are they!?"

"Of course not! It would take something greater to kill those two! They were lucky to escape in time. You see, one of the dragons has taken up residence in the Wawku Shrine and I'm positive that its the fire dragon. Why else would this region be so unbearably hot?"

"It's not like that now. So, wait. Does this mean you don't know where the ice dragon is?"

"It's in the southern part of Kamuii."

"That's not the information I was looking for. It doesn't matter. We'll run into the ice dragon eventually. C'mon, Ammy. Let's see if Oki can help us like he did last time."

Amaterasu left Kemu's house. She could smell very faint trails of Oki's scent, signs that he's been around in the village. But she remembered that he lived farther away now. She ran out the village and started to run back, toward the blizzard. She walked blindly through the snow for some time but she suddenly stopped.

"Ammy! You're not frozen, are you?"

A: No, Issun. I'm not. I'm just sensing something.

There was something that she hasn't felt before on her last adventure in Kamuii. Probably because she was weaker then. But now that she's stronger, her powers have been enhanced as well. She walked toward the power that emanated from a certain place. She stopped and looked at a wall. It was a natural wall, one made of rock that has been weared away. But she could sense strong magic emanating from it. She had an idea that may bring the wall down. A pure white cherry bomb appeared next to the wall. There was a great explosion of blinding light that made Amaterasu close her eyes. She opened her eyes, hoping that the wall will be gone. Though, dissappointingly, it was still there. She turned around and took a few steps until...

"Where are you going, furball? Can't you see there's something coming up!?"

Amaterasu looked back at the wall and saw something slowly appearing. It was the Oina crest, but it was different than the ones in Wep'keer. It was a dark blue. Amaterasu approached the wall carefully and pawed at the wall. Strangely, her paw went right through the wall. She slowly walked through the wall and saw a path. She followed it and was surprised at what she saw at the end of it. A village. There was village here. Amaterasu had many thoughts that went through her mind in a flash. Issun was quiet for some time, probably not able to process that there was a hidden village. Then he finally broke the silence with something completely off the subject.

"Hey, Ammy? What do you think happened to the other gods on the Celestial Plain?"

She had never thought of that. And she didn't want to think about it.

"Alright, furball. Lets look around here and see if we can find the person in charge around here."

A girl started to walk to them. She had the Oina mask and her hair was black with a streak of violet on one side of her hair and the tips reached the half of her back. Her mask was a fox with a light violet color. She wore a long sleeved black shirt and dark violet pants. (those that have seen Inuyasha, think of Kikyo's clothes) Her pants looked skirt-like. She also wore a silver necklace, just a plain one, with a ruby. As she got closer, Amaterasu saw that she had two swords, one on each side of her body. The girl stopped a couple of yards away and examined the wolf. Her hands reached for the swords and unsheathed them. The swords were shorter than the Kutone sword, making Amaterasu feel a bit more confident.

The girl moved rather fast toward Amaterasu. Her swords clashed against Amaterasu's reflector. She had one sword against the reflector, and the other was trying to strike Amaterasu. The girl pulled back and her hands were getting a better grip on the swords. Amaterasu then ran to her and swung the Solar Flare but the girl moved out of the way. The girl lunged at Amaterasu and her swords met the reflector again. But this time she kept striking the reflector. Each blow seemed to get stronger. After a while, Amaterasu could feel her blows weakening. She was getting tired. The girl pulled back again. Amaterasu took this opportunity to attack but she had to be careful. This was a mortal and she didn't want to kill her. The girl blocked some of Amaterasu's attacks with her two swords. Amaterasu layed a final blow on her and the girl fell to her knees. A light surrounded the girl's body and Amaterasu was now looking at a black and violet wolf.

The wolf was circling around Amaterasu and Amaterasu was doing the same. They both waited for the other to attack. The black wolf ran to Amaterasu and her swords were blocked by Amaterasu's Thunder Strike. Three swords clashed together, trying to hit the wielder. Amaterasu layed a good blow on the wolf. The wolf fell to the ground but got up almost immediately. The wolf then threw a sword at Amaterasu. Amaterasu hit it with her own sword and the wolf's sword flew into the air. The sword then fell to the ground, the blade in the snow. The black wolf was looking at the sword that she didn't notice a white wolf running toward her. Amaterasu tackled the wolf and was knocked over into the snow. The black and violet wolf looked up and slowly returned to her human form. Amaterasu pointed the Thunder Strike at the girl, blade inches from her face.

"Such power can come from no other than the great god Amaterasu!"

"You got that right! Hold on a sec. You know about Ammy?"

"Everyone here in the village knows about her heroic exploits. How she defeated the twin demons Lechku and Nechku has made our faith in her stronger."

"Why is the village here? It's like you're trying to hide from something."

"Veraie is what this village is called. We are the southern Oina tribe and I'm not sure how exactly why we have come to sealing away ourselves from the rest of Kamuii. It happened many centuries ago."

"That old, huh? Wait, you didn't tell us your name!"

"I didn't? I'm sorry. My name is Zira. You're a poncle. Let me guess, you're Issun, aren't you?"

"The one and only! Hey, why did you have to attack us in the first place?"

"I just wanted a taste of Amaterasu's incredible power. Enough about that, though. We should get inside. The blizzard will freeze us to death out here."

Zira led Amaterasu to her house. Amaterasu loved how the warmth of the fire hit her fur. The cold was a bit more bearable inside. She looked in around and saw two masks on a wall. One was a bear's mask, the other was a hawk's. To whom did they belong to? Amaterasu didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Issun then broke the silence.

"Zira, isn't fighting one of the things a girl isn't supposed to do?"

"Are you saying girls can't fight?"

Her tone sounded very angry.

"Well, yeah! What kind of girl learns how to swordfight and all that stuff!?"

"A girl who was too weak to stop monsters from killing her parents."

Zira's tone changed to a sad one.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry to hear that."

"This was when monsters used to prowl around these parts. I was still a child then and my mother and father were taking me somewhere. We were suddenly attacked by those beasts and my mother hid me so I wouldn't get hurt. My father tried with all his might to defend us but they killed him first. Then my mother was killed. I was hiding in a small cave and I watched my parents being killed. I hid there for some time, thinking. It came to me that I was just a weak girl. That was when I decided to be different. I will become strong and learn the art of swordfighting. That is how I am now. I've trained hard and, now, I'm one of the strongest warriors in the village."

"Wow. So they didn't do anything about you fighting?"

"They did. They would challenge me to fight them, and if they won I would give up my swords. And, as you can see, I beat them! It's funny that they were beaten by a girl."

"Hey, Zira. Have you seen a dragon around here? We heard that the ice dragon was running amok around here."

"An ice dragon? Yes, it is here. Many of our warriors encountered it and when we found them, they were frozen solid."

"Yikes! You should be careful, Ammy. I don't want you to be an icicle."

"Well, Amaterasu. The blizzard has settled down a bit. If you want to get somewhere, this would be your best chance. And the probability of you freezing to death will be a little lower."

"That's right, furball! We need to get going! See you around, Zira!"

Amaterasu ran from the warmth of Zira's house and into the freezing snow. She left the way she came and left the village. It was easier to see, now that the blizzard wasn't blowing as fiercely as before. She ran through the snow and she could feel her paws getting a little numb. At last, she caught sight of Oki's house. It was some distance away but Amaterasu could already feel the warming fire. She heard a roar that made stop in her tracks almost immediately. She looked around, wondering where the sound came from. A black spectacle caught her eye as it was flying above. It landed on the snow and it let out another roar. Another dragon. But this one didn't seem to have the great power of the element dragons that Amaterasu was able to sense. It was far weaker compared to them.

On the back of its wings, written in gray, was the sign of darkness. Ayako has finally made the perfect dragon, one that would help in his mission to fill Amaterasu's world with chaos. Every part of the dragon was black. Its eyes, its claws, and even its teeth and tongue. It let out another roar and started to breath fire. The fire was the only thing that wasn't black. Maybe this is why Kamuii wasn't cursed. Why would it be cursed if it has these dragons around? Dragons of chaos and darkness...Amaterasu has never met such an impure creature, except for Yami. There were probably more around.

The dragon readied its teeth and claws for battle. It breathed fire again and, this time, it was breathing it onto Amaterasu. She got out of the way and lunged toward the black dragon. Her teeth bit down on the dragon's neck and she heard it let out a roar of pain. It moved violently, trying to make the wolf let go. It began to run toward a wall and Amaterasu saw this. Seconds before it hit, Amaterasu let go. The dragon hit the wall with great power. It fell to the floor, stunned. Amaterasu walked cautiously toward it. She stood before the dragon and observed it. Maybe the collision killed it and not stun it. At that moment, the dragon's eyelids flew open and its claws struck Amaterasu. She fell down but she got up. She looked at where the dragon's claws hit her. Only a small cut, nothing serious. The dragon wasn't so strong. If it were an element dragon, the blow would have made a deeper wound.

She saw the dragon suddenly charge at her. She moved quickly and she felt the wind of the dragon's charge. Its tail then moved, almost like a rope, and hit her on the side. She fell down on her back and saw the dragon looming above her. It reared up on its hind legs and she saw its fore legs coming down, trying to crush her. She rolled and the dragon's claws hit the snow, sending a few vibrations into the earth. Then that's when she saw a dark blue wolf with a bit of red on his head appear. He had a sword with him and he swung it into black dragon's side. The dragon moved a little, showing that the sword hit him with strong velocity. With that, Amaterasu bit down onto the dragon's neck. She bit as hard as she could and dragon moved more violently than ever. She could feel the other wolf slash at the dragon. Then the dragon stopped moving and fell to the ground. She released her grip on the neck and turned her attention to the wolf.

"Hey, Oki, we could have done it ourselves!"

"Long time, no see. And you almost look the same as before."

"What do you mean 'almost'? Oh, wait, I know what you mean. The red marks on Ammy did change."

"You're here because you heard about the dragons here, right? It's strange how they just appeared out of nowhere."

"Well, they come from a world other than ours. Do you have any ideas of where the ice dragon is?"

"I'm here because of that. I know that one dragon is in the Wawku Shrine, but I can't seem to find the other."

"Hey, furball, can you pick up the scent?"

A: Sorry, Issun. But I can't pick up anything, especially with all this snow around.

Amaterasu started to shiver. The air seemed to get colder quite suddenly. The blizzard began to settle a bit more, but the air was freezing.

"Brrrrr! How did it get so cold!? I'm totally freezing here!"

Something was around and coming closer. The closer it came, the colder the air got. Amaterasu knew what was coming and she was ready. At that moment, another dragon appeared. It was an icy blue color with light green spikes running down its back. Its wings were also the same green color and had snowflake-like symbols on them. Its icy blue eyes seemed to show that it also had an icy heart. The snow around the dragon started to solidify from the intense cold.

"I couldn't help but hear your conversation. Your search for me can now stop because I'm right here."

"I knew we'll meet you eventually! It's time for you to stop freezing this land! We've already beaten your other siblings so don't think you can beat us!"

"Oh but I can. I, Seiji, will freeze you to death!"

"I have a score to settle with you." interrupted Oki.

Seiji turned his attention to the Oina warrior.

"You're that warrior Naoko and I fought. You were with the chief of that village. You really want to die, don't you?"

"I don't think so. After this, you'll be lucky to escape with your life."

Amaterasu and Oki readied themselves for the grueling battle. If Amaterasu and Oki are able to defeat the ice dragon and Amaterasu purifies him, it will be a lot easier to purify the fire dragon. The two wolves circled the dragon carefully and Seiji eyed them. The snow began to blow fiercely again. The snow looked like it was circling around the dragon and, in an instant, he was gone. Amaterasu looked around but the snow was interfering with her vision. Maybe Oki was having the same trouble. She then felt a chill run down her back. She didn't need to look behind her but instinctively moved. She heard something hit the ground. She looked and saw Seiji's claws in the snow. He pulled them out of the snow and looked straight at Amaterasu. She saw his eyes moving about, looking for something. That was when she noticed that Oki had dissappeared. She knew that he wouldn't run away but probably hiding in order to launch a surprise attack on Seiji.

Oki then appeared out of nowhere and moved his sword valiantly. The attack looked like he missed until a small trace of blood began trickle down Seiji's foreleg. Seiji didn't look very surprised. Oki dashed again and Seiji wasn't moving out of the way. What is Seiji going to do? Amaterasu somehow foresaw what was going to happen. A ball of fire appeared and the snow started to melt a bit. The fire was affecting Seiji as well. After all, fire can melt ice. Or can it? Seiji opened his mouth and a blast of ice shot out. The ice blast froze the fire. A strange sight to see fire frozen in a block of ice. The fire was a distraction for Seiji and he felt cold steel strike at his side. He then felt something warm flow down from where the steel had hit him. He saw his own blood. The wound was bleeding rather heavily. The blood left behind crimson stains in the white snow.

Seiji's tail moved and hit Oki. The attack was so fast and unpredictable that Oki couldn't move out of the way. But Oki got back on his feet and looked as if nothing had happened. He suddenly felt his feet go numb. Seiji had blown some ice on him and Oki's forefeet were frozen in ice. He couldn't pull them free. Oki saw Amaterasu bite down on Seiji's neck and the dragon let out a roar. Seiji moved violently, trying to make Amaterasu let go. He then struck her with his claws. Amaterasu let out a yelp and hit the snow. She got up and dashed to him. Her Solar Flare moved gracefully as it hit Seiji in the face. The reflector didn't leave behind a burn but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him. He looked dizzy and he was feeling a bit lightheaded. He looked at the wound inflicted earlier and saw that it was still bleeding but not as heavily as before. Seiji was losing too much blood. He wanted to leave this battle and yet he didn't want to. His pride didn't want to let him. He looked over to where the other wolf was, the one who had his paws frozen in ice. He saw his sword slashing at the thick ice, trying to break free. Seiji saw the wolf turn into a dark blue blur and he couldn't see the white wolf. He was losing his sight. Then he felt a great force hit him in front.

Amaterasu had charged into him with all her strength and the force had knocked the ice dragon to the floor. She quickly ran over to Oki and used some fire to melt the ice. His facial expression said thank you and he ran off toward the dragon. Seiji was still on the floor and was having difficulty on getting up. Oki used Kutone to deal the final blow but at that moment Seiji blocked it with his wings. His wings were bleeding as well. He began to blow more ice but he missed. He was blowing ice all over, in random places so he could freeze the two wolves wherever they were. Amaterasu moved about, not knowing where he will blow ice next. The ice blasts were freezing the snow completely and it made it hard to move. Amaterasu's paws had a hard time trying to grip the ice so she can run to stop the ice dragon from blasting ice all over the place. Amaterasu finally got off a big patch of ice and ran to Seiji. She did a full-body tackle that made her fall to the ground with the dragon. Now that Seiji stopped blasting ice, Oki held up his sword, ready to get rid of the ice dragon once and for all.

"Oki! What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like? I'm going to kill this dragon!"

"You can't!"

"What do you mean?"

"You can't kill it because...because there's a father out there who wants his child alive!"

"Are you saying that this dragon has a father?"

"Yes. We can't kill the ice dragon, but we have to purify it. Now, Ammy! Purify Seiji before anything else happens!"

Amaterasu turned to where the dragon had fallen but there was nothing there. She heard flapping and looked up. The ice dragon was flying away. He had escaped.

"If they weren't able to kill me, then maybe Naoko will." he thought.

"Amaterasu!"

Amaterasu heard a woman's voice. She looked for where it was coming from. In the distance, a black and violet wolf was running through the snow toward her. Of course, it was none other than Zira.

"Zira? What in the world are you doing here?"

"I heard a great commotion all the way in the village. So I came here to see if you were alright."

"You don't have to worry about us!"

Issun saw Zira's eyes look at Oki.

"Oh! Um, this is Oki. He helped us once when we fought against Lechku and Nechku."

"Glad to meet you." she said.

"Likewise." he replied.

"So what happened here?" asked Zira.

"Well, we found the ice dragon but he got away. We were so close to beating him, that is, before he got away." said Issun.

"Can I be of any help?" she asked.

"Of course you can help us!" said Issun.

"How can she be of any help?" interrupted Oki.

"How can she help? She's the only girl warrior we know! And I bet she's the only one in Kamuii."

"What are we waiting for? We need to find those dragons!" said Zira.

The three wolves then ran to where the last dragon remained, the fire dragon. The ice dragon is still impure but Amaterasu knew that he would be heading to the fire dragon. Kemu said that the fire dragon was in the Wawku Shrine. Probably because Ezofuji was made of twin volcanoes. And a volcanoe has fire and magma. The snow was turning into rain, the closer they got to the North. Oki looked back and saw the blizzard raging him. The rain was drenching his fur and it felt like needles everytime it hit him. The rain started to disappear and then there was the sun. The sun shone brightly and it began to get very hot. Amaterasu started to pant from the heat and soon so were Oki and Zira. At last they reached Afun gate which led to the Wawku Shrine. Humid wind was blowing from inside it and it felt very uncomfortable. The ice in Laochi Lake had melted and made the water level rise. The three wolves entered the shrine and made their way to where the fire dragon waited. They found themselves where the platform had been broken when Lechku had crashed through the wall. Oki remembered a rather bad past situation and Amaterasu also remembered. This is where Shiranui had saved Oki and also endangered her own life.

They hoped to see the fire dragon there but, instead, there was the ice dragon again. He looked very weak and wouldn't put up much of a fight. Amaterasu cautiously walked to him. She took out the Solar Blade and she sliced the dragon. The dark spirit seperated from Seiji. Its icy blue eyes looked at Amaterasu but it didn't make a sound. It silently flew off over the horizon. The three of them looked at the spirit disappear. At that minute, a red spectacle caught the corner of Amaterasu's eye. She looked on over to where it was and sure enough there was a red dragon flyign in the sky. It was a brilliant red. Instead of spikes like the other dragons, it had pure fire running down its back and the tip of its tail had a huge flame. It had horns and its wings were engulfed in fire. Actually, they were made of fire. It landed on the ground and it sent vibrations into it. Seiji was asleep, trying to regain his strength and heal his wounds. The red dragon looked at him with pity and shame.

"It seems that you have defeated my brother. I, however, won't be quite as easy."

"So you're the fire dragon. Well listen up! The three of us will put an end to all the suffering you are doing here!" yelled Issun.

"Yes, I am Naoko, the fire dragon and I don't think I'll be leaving. I despise water and snow, so I decided to make Kamuii a desert. The land of snow and ice will now become a scorching desert."

"We'll see about that!"

Naoko closed his eyes and two replicas appeared. The replicas looked like him but were made of fire. Naoko himself decided to get fight Amaterasu himself, the other replicas will take care of the other two wolves. Naoko slowly circled Amaterasu and she waited for him to make a move. Fire blazed from his claws as he slashed at her. She evaded the attack and quickly checked on what Oki and Zira were doing. They fought against the fire clones and looked like they could take care of themselves. The heat that Naoko gave off was unbearable and if she tried to get close, she could get a serious burn. Naoko saw Amaterasu's reflector disappear and in its place was a rosary. The Tundra Beads can handle the fire dragon. Amaterasu bit the rosary's last bead and swung it gracefully. The beads hit Naoko like a whip and slightly cooled down the heat from his flames.

Fire blasted from his mouth but then a wind started to blow. The wind moved the fire in a different direction, away from Amaterasu. A sword suddenly flew into the dragon's side. Amaterasu looked at where it came from. Zira had thrown one of her sword at Naoko and the fire replica was weakening. Amaterasu looked at Oki and saw that he had already beaten the clone that he was fighting. He ran to where Zira was and helped her get rid of the fire replica. Naoko moved his tail and swung it at Amaterasu, who, in turn, swung the Tundra Beads at him. Naoko was hit in the face by the rosary and Amaterasu was hit on her right side by his flaming tail. Her fur was slightly burned but it didn't look too serious. She felt something trying to pull her up on her feet. Her head turned and saw Zira trying to get Amaterasu up. Amaterasu got up and looked around for a fire replica, but there was nothing but the fire dragon. Oki and Zira had beaten them and Amaterasu must now defeat the fire dragon. With the other wolves on her side, she could overcome Naoko.

Zira suddenly rushed at Naoko but moved to the left. Her teeth bit down on the sword's handle, whose blade was still in the dragon, and pulled it free from the dragon's flesh. Naoko let out a roar of pain and his claws swung at her. Zira jumped out of the way and saw a rosary strike him a number of times. She looked at the rosary, her eyes following the line of beads, and saw that the rosary belonged to Amaterasu. Oki rushed in to strike Naoko while under the cover of Amaterasu's rosary. Oki's sword swung from the right and the sword left behind a bloody gash. He was able to let in two more strikes at the fire dragon. Amaterasu ran to the left at a strange angle and she rolled under Naoko. During the roll, she quickly changed to her Thunder Strike. Now that she was under the dragon, her glaive drove in deep into Naoko's flesh. Naoko moved back, roaring from the great pain of the glaive that was still intact. He reared up on his hind legs and took out the Thunder Strike. The bloody sword was dropped onto the ground.

An immense amount of blood came out from the wound. Naoko roared once again, and he smashed the ground from where he was standing. The wound could kill him or the loss of blood could as well. He smashed the ground once again before there was a great rumble. The ground underneath him began to crumble and Amaterasu and the others saw him fall. The three of them ran to where Naoko fell. They peered down where the ground once stood. Naoko held on to the ledge and seeing him made the three wolves jump to safety. Oki jumped but Naoko bit down on his hind leg. Oki was being pulled down with Naoko who was losing his grip on the ledge. Zira grabbed Oki's fur and tried to pull him free of the dragon's teeth. Amaterasu watched how Naoko was slipping and foresaw what might happen. If Naoko doesn't let go of Oki, he, Oki and Zira will fall. Amaterasu jumped and landed at Naoko's face. It was there that she saw his eyes for the first time. His eyes were fire-red that seemed to burn with great intensity. His eyes were nothing like the other dragons. She bit and scratched at him, making Naoko let go of the ledge. His claws reached for her, trying to make her stop and let go. The white wolf and red dragon fell. Zira pulled Oki up and let go of his fur.

"Are you alright?"

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Ammy..." said Issun.

The two wolves looked at him, then at where the dragon and the goddess fell.

"Amaterasu risked her life to save us." said Zira.

Issun was quiet for some time until a grey and sky blue colors appeared. It was Hakuzo and Akira. They flew and landed on the ground. On Hakuzo's back was an unconcious Naoko.

"Hello Issun."

"Did you save Ammy!?" yelled Issun.

Hakuzo looked at Akira, who crouched down carefully. She had to or risk falling over and since she had only two legs it would be hard to get back up. A white patch of fur was on Akira's back. It was Amaterasu.

"Ammy!" happily shouted Issun.

Amaterasu got off of Akira's back and landed on the ground. She looked at Issun with a happy face. She looked at Akira and Akira was able to see that she was saying thank you.

"Don't mention it. I would gladly save you any time especially after you saved mine."

"Akira, we should get going." said Hakuzo.

Akira walked toward Seiji, who was still recovering.

"Will these two be okay? I mean, we almost killed them." said Issun.

"Don't worry. Mayumi will be able to heal them. Before we leave, I need Amaterasu to purify my sons." said Hakuzo.

Amaterasu walked to Seiji with the Solar Blade's handle in her mouth. The sword's blade slashed through Seiji. A black spirit appeared, glared at Amaterasu, and flew heavenward. Amaterasu then walked to Naoko and used the Solar Blade to purify him as well. The black spirit in Naoko appeared with the same intense eyes. It, too, flew off in the same direction as the spirit before. Amaterasu looked at Hakuzo, who was now greyer than when she last saw him. Akira had Seiji on her back and flapped her great wings. The two dragons flew off over the horizon. Amaterasu layed down on the ground and let out a yawn. She hasn't slept for a few days now and was very exhausted from all the battles with the dragons. Zira looked at the sky and walked to Amaterasu. She layed down next to her and went to sleep. Amaterasu fell asleep a few seconds later. Only Oki remained on his feet. He saw clouds form in the sky. A couple minutes later, a snowflake drifted down to the ground. It snowed peacefully.

* * *

"So this is Amaterasu. The great god that has purified my siblings." said a voice.

A light blue orb with a white mist around it floated in the air. A pair of eyes that were the same color as the orb looked into it. An image of Amaterasu was inside it. The orb shrank and floated down into open claws. The claws clutched it and the orb disappeared.

"Amaterasu has purified the worldly elements...I wonder how she'll do against the nether- elements?"

Whew...finally down w/ this chapter! Now I want to know what you think about it so far. This story will be over in a couple more chapters!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Dark and Light, Yin and Yang

Amaterasu felt a light pull on her fur. She opened her eyes and saw a dark blue wolf looking at her. She slowly got up but felt well rested. Amaterasu looked to her left and a black and violet wolf was already getting up as well. The three of them walked out of the Wawku Shrine together. As they walked past Laochi Lake, Amaterasu stopped. She looked at the lake that was now free of ice since the fire dragon melted it. The blue water was still. Snowflakes floated down and disappeared into the water. Though it looked peaceful, there was a strange pull in the back of Amaterasu's mind. It was as if it was trying to pull her into the lake. But all she did was ignore it. She shook her head and caught up with Oki and Zira. When they reached Wep'keer, Oki transformed into his human form. Zira did the same a few seconds later. Seeing them turn to humans, Amaterasu wondered what she would look like if she were to have that ability. For now, she was stuck with this wolf body.

Everyone from the village praised the three heroes for their great deed for ousting the dragons. Amaterasu and Zira left Wep'keer and walked through the white snow. Zira didn't want any help getting back to her village but Amaterasu did any way. They reached the wall that divided Veraie and the outside world. Zira said goodbye to Amaterasu and she wished that they would meet again. Zira disappeared through the wall and Amaterasu turned around to leave Kamuii. A few minutes later, Amaterasu heard the sound of someone playing a flute. She looked around the scenery, searching for where the sound came from. In a tree was Waka.

"Hello again, Amaterasu."

"This isn't a coincidence that you're here. What do you want now?"

"I wanted to congratulate you for purifying most of the dragons."

"Most? Are you saying that there are still more?"

"Of course! I saw ten dragons when they appeared on the Celestial Plain. Which means you two are still not finished."

"But how can there be more elements!? I thought Hakuzo and his children were the only ones!"

"All I know is that you have unfinished business. Before you leave, I have a prophecy for you. 'The mother of the elements will soon be revealed to you by a certain light!'"

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'll just stay around here. Kamuii is somewhat peaceful."

Amaterasu barked, a way to let Waka know that she was saying goodbye...for the time being. She ran through the snow and soon found herself at the edge of Shinshu Field. She looked at the field and noticed that the grass was taller than the last time she saw it. Maybe Tutsoku went overboard with the grass. A breeze blowed through the field and the grass looked like a sea of green. The waves moved to and fro. Amaterasu's eyes searched for the dragons and saw most of them huddled together. A grey dragon roared at the six dragons. The wounds that Naoko and Seiji had were gone. Mayumi looked somewhat helpless now that she is on land. The three brothers defended their sisters from the grey dragon. Amaterasu examined the grey dragon and to her surprise, the grey dragon was Hakuzo. She raced as fast as she could down to where the dragons were. Hakuzo saw her and let out a roar.

Hakuzo's eyes had a strange shade of grey in them. The other dragons slowly backed away, sensing a confrontation between the dragon of light and sun goddess. Amaterasu never thought that she would come to face Hakuzo in battle. He was a grey color and if it was even darker, the color would be black. It was certainly clear that one of the dark spirits had possessed him and it slowly took control of him. Light versus light. The great weakness of light is darkness and vice versa. But how can a dark spirit be able to possess a being of light if they are both enemies? Hakuzo looked at Amaterasu, who was ready to fight. White flames surrounded Hakuzo's claws and he swung his claws at Amaterasu. Amaterasu moved to the right and dodged his blow. She saw his mouth open and a white fire blew out from it. She used water to extinguish the flames. The other six dragons were deadly silent. They didn't know who's side they should be on: Amaterasu's or Hakuzo's. Hakuzo was their father but Amaterasu saved them from the dark spirits that possessed them. For twenty minutes, Amaterasu and Hakuzo fought. Claws and teeth clashed with each other.

At last, a blow to Hakuzo's head ended the fight. He was unconcious but this would be the best time to purify him. The Solar Blade sliced through Hakuzo and a black spirit appeared. Glowing white eyes looked into Amaterasu's eyes. She saw the spirit fly off into the sky. She looked back at Hakuzo and saw him regaining his conciousness. He slowly got up and looked at her.

"Thank you, Amaterasu."

"I never thought that you would be possessed!"

"Yes, it is shocking. Amaterasu...I hope you know that there are still more dragons out there."

"Yeah, we already know. That half-baked prophet told us back in Kamuii. So are there any close by?"

"Why, of course. My mate is definitely near."

"Your mate!?"

"Isn't it obvious that I would have a mate? Who else did you think would have brought my children into our world?"

"You have a point there...so, who is your mate?"

"The dragon of darkness."

"What!? How is that even possible!?"

"Dark and light are like Yin and Yang. You can't have one without the other...darkness without light becomes corrupt and possibly evil. Light without darkness becomes unstable and would not even exist. Darkness helps us find our wrongs and if we only had light, we wouldn't know right from wrong. We need both light and dark for us to exist."

"Alright. We'll bring back your mate. But before we do, I think some people need to give us a reward!"

Issun looked at Naoko, Seiji, and Nagura.

"A deal's a deal, Nagura!"

Nagura relunctantly walked to Amaterasu. Nagura gave her the ability to deafen her enemies with a loud thunder blast. Naoko and Seiji walked on over to Amaterasu and they told her that they want to thank her for what she has done for them and their siblings. Naoko gave her a strange rosary that was made of pure fire. Seiji gave her an ability to use ice without drawing it from a certain source. It was strange, though. Whenever she looked into Seiji's icy eyes it felt as if she was frozen. Did he have an ability to freely use ice no matter what? Most likely...

"What about you, Hakuzo?"

"I already gave you your gift. It was the Solar Blade. Now go! Free Terasame from her dark curse!"

"Terasame? That's her name, right? Well, let me ask you this: Can you sense her anywhere?"

"Over there...that is where I can sense her power."

Hakuzo lifted up a claw and pointed to where the Moon Cave was. At that moment, Amaterasu took off in a flash. She saw the gate of the Moon Cave. It came closer and closer. Before she knew it she was already through it and was now in the cave. The cave looked different now that the eight-headed serpent Orochi was gone. She walked but somewhat cautiously. Shadows where everywhere in the cave. Amaterasu felt like the dark dragon was hiding herself among them. And she was...Amaterasu walked under a huge arc and stopped. Somebody was watching her and she could feel it. She looked up at the arc and saw a pair of ruby red eyes. The eyes looked directly at her, not averting their gaze. A black figure flew down from the arc and landed in front of Amaterasu. It was Terasame, the dragon of darkness.

She was all black. The only parts of her that weren't were her teeth, eyes, the under parts of her wings, and the inside of her mouth. Her legs were shaky. Amaterasu could sense that Terasame had been fighting off the dark spirit for some time already. Although she was the dark dragon, Amaterasu could sense her soul. A soul of light. Amaterasu was confused. How can a creature of darkness be able to have a soul of light? Wouldn't it be a dark soul? Yet Amaterasu could sense that Terasame's soul was untainted...not at all. Terasame's soul was weak now from the long struggle between her soul and the dark spirit. Amaterasu felt very sorry for her.

"Why are you here? Have you come to free me from my curse?"

"You bet that's why we're here!"

"As much as I would love for you to free me, I would like to see how strong you are. I hope you don't mind a little battle, Amaterasu."

"How'd you know Ammy's name?"

"I've seen a vision of you. But enough talk! Lets get this battle over with!"

First thing that Amaterasu did was a roll. She rolled to the right and she pounced on Terasame. She was on the dragon's back and she clawed at her. Terasame rolled as well, slightly crushing the wolf. Amaterasu was on the floor but got back up as quickly as she could. She then felt like twenty knives had stabbed her. She looked and saw that Terasame had bit down on her back. Her grip was strong and she lifted the goddess in the air. Amaterasu was still in her jaws and Terasame suddenly flung her to the other side of the room. Amaterasu hit the floor pretty hard and her back was bleeding. Her blood stained her white coat. She saw her blood and rage filled her eyes. She moved toward Terasame and attacked her with her reflector and her Celestial Brush.

Terasame's claws were enflamed with a black fire. She swung her claws, trying to hit Amaterasu, but all she hit was a reflector. Amaterasu leaped and bit down on Terasame's neck. Terasame moved her neck and Amaterasu could feel the power of the dragon. At last, Amaterasu let go of Terasame's neck. Terasame blasted fire from her mouth onto Amaterasu. A powerful wind blew from nowhere and it redirected Terasame's black fire. Her claws then had contact with Amaterasu while the wind continued to blow. Amaterasu fell to the floor. She got up and tackled Terasame with all of her strength. Terasame fell and that was when Amaterasu was able to feel how strong Terasame was physically. The dark dragon was strong indeed. While on the floor, Terasame swished her tail that made Amaterasu fall. She hit the floor but all the impact was on her left paw.

She strained her paw. It would be a lot harder to fight now but Amaterasu would not lose, no matter what. Amaterasu dashed to Terasame and bit down on her tail. Terasame roared and she moved her tail violently. Amaterasu let go of her tail and the Thunder Strike took the place of the Solar Flare. She looked at the dark dragon and saw that she had disappeared. Where was she? Amaterasu's eyes frantically searched for Terasame. There was a shadow behind Amaterasu. Ruby eyes opened and suddenly Terasame appeared from the shadow. She was about to tackle Amaterasu but Amaterasu jumped out of the way. The dark dragon now in front of her with her backed turned, Amaterasu threw her sword at Terasame. The glaive's blade entered Terasame's flesh from behind. It went in deep and if it went any further, it would go right through her. Terasame fell to the floor.

Amaterasu walked on over to her. It was time to purify her. The Solar Blade appeared and Amaterasu used to slash right through Terasame. A spirit appeared and it was an inky dark color. Amaterasu couldn't see its eyes and before she knew it, the spirit disappeared. Amaterasu pulled out the Thunder Strike from Terasame's back.

"You have my gratitude, Amaterasu. I will leave now and join my family."

"Be careful, though. That wound is kind of deep but I think Mayumi will be able to heal you."

"Ariya..."

Before Issun could say another word, Terasame disappeared into the shadows once again. Amaterasu let out a howl, a way to show that she had done well. But who was Ariya? Probably another dragon but of what element? For now, Amaterasu ran off to Shinshu Field where all the dragons are.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Stars and Dreams

Amaterasu headed back to Shinshu Field and could already see the dragons greeting their mother. Now that Terasame was in the light of the sun, Amaterasu could see how beautiful she really was. Under her wings, there was a brilliant red. Amaterasu wasn't able to see clearly in the Moon Cave since it was rather dark for some reason. Amaterasu really didn't want to think about it but is darkness really necessary in the world? Maybe it is but as long it is balanced with light. Too much darkness could spell disaster. Maybe darkness is good but when there is too much it becomes corrupt and evil. Darkness can't exist without light and light can't exist without darkness. As Amaterasu got closer to where the dragons were, she knew that there was something wrong.

"You didn't tell her to find Ariya first!?" yelled Terasame.

"I thought you found her and she was with you!" yelled back Hakuzo.

"What in the world is going on?" said Issun. "And who the heck is Ariya?"

"Ariya is our other daughter." said Terasame. "She is the dragon of dreams."

"You have another daughter and she is the dragon of dreams!?"

"She isn't biologically our daughter. You see, I took her in when she was abandoned by her family. Of course, I think those weren't her parents. I believe that she was just created from a certain element like all the other nether-element dragons."

"Nether-elements?"

"Yes, the nether-elements are dark, light, chaos, star, and dream. The worldly elements are earth, fire, water, air, thunder, and ice which are our children. Dark and light created the elements of the world. Well...our world, that is."

"So the remaining dragons are star and dream? Why did your world need those two?"

"The dragon of the stars is also known as the destiny dragon. She could see your destiny just by looking at you. And you know very well that everyone has a destiny of some sort. No one in our world dared to cross her, for some reason, we believe she has the power to seal your fate. The dream dragon is very complicated. The ruler of dreams and the moon. Able to communicate with spirits that no one can see, not even myself. She is a highly psychic dragon and could read your mind. She also has the gift of seeing into the future."

"Like that half-baked prophet!" laughed Issun.

"Ariya is no laughing matter. She was the great ruler of our world and her power surpasses all the other element dragons. If she is possessed by a dark spirit, it would be the end for your world. With her power combined with the evil of Ayako, all hope is lost!"

"Wow...Maybe her power even surpasses Ammy's!"

A: Don't say that! I'm already getting nervous!

"Possibly. Amaterasu, I need you to find her as soon as you can!"

Amaterasu nodded and took off. But where could she go? It would be a good idea to check in Agata Forest again. It occured to her how lovely Terasame's voice was. But do dragons have a voice? She noticed that whenever she heard the dragons speaking to her, they didn't move their mouthes. The voice came from somewhere but how? The star and dream dragons could be anywhere. Amaterasu needs to check every part of Nippon no matter how much she really didn't want to. It would be very tiring to search for two dragons. But, nevertheless, Amaterasu ran for the forest. It only took twenty minutes to get there. She sniffed the floor for any sign that the dragons were there. She moved from place to place, trying to pick up a scent. She looked at the sky and could see a few dragonets flying. If she got rid of Ayako, would all his creations disappear as well? Though it wouldn't be worth checking, Amaterasu walked to where the Guardian Sapling was in Agata Forest.

She walked through a tunnel until she saw the beautiful cherry blossoms of the tree. Pink petals floated down peacefully. She started to walk around the great tree, admiring its beauty. As she took another step, she quickly pulled back her paw. Laying under the tree was a black dragon with white stars on its body. It had wings and spines and its tail ended in a star. It was sleeping under the tree. Amaterasu didn't know what to do. Should she go and wake it up? Or should she attack it? As she was thinking, the dragon's eyelids opened. It had grey eyes that looked somewhat comforting. It stared at Amaterasu as if it was reading her. It slowly got up, but it never averted its gaze from Amaterasu.

"Such a complicated destiny..." it said.

From its voice, Amaterasu could tell that it was female.

"You don't have to worry. I'm not possessed by a dark spirit."

"Oh, you aren't? Good, 'cuz I don't think Ammy could handle another fight."

A: Yes I can! If I was able to make it this far, I could handle another battle.

"Are you looking for Ariya? Well, I'll tell you this: She isn't here in this land of Nippon."

"What!? She isn't!? Wait, how do you know?"

"She sent me a dream. She knew that you would find me and she wanted me to tell you where she was."

"She knew about this!? Hey, Ammy! I bet Ariya would give Waka a run for his money when it comes to seeing into the future!"

"Do you mind that I join you? To help you find her?"

"We don't mind at all! We appreciate any kind of help! Oh, and what's your name?"

"My name is Yomiumi. Lets get going now. Ariya said she was in a land of snow and ice."

"Kamuii? Man, we're basically going back and forth!"

Amaterasu and Yomiumi walked down the long tunnel. When they got to the end, Yomiumi stopped and said:

"Alright, Amaterasu."

Amaterasu stopped in her tracks upon hearing this statement. She looked at Yomiumi and saw her extend her wing, forming a peculiar ramp with it.

"Get on!"

Amaterasu hesitated, wondering if what she was seeing really happening.

"Don't worry, Amaterasu. I don't want you to tire your feet too much. It's the least I could do for you."

Amaterasu agreed to this and slowly walked on Yomiumi's wings, careful not to hurt her. She was on her back and Amaterasu sat down. She felt the dragon's wings flap and soon Amaterasu felt herself in the air. She could feel that she really was in the air. She looked down to the world below and saw that they were already flying over Shinshu Field. The dragons there saw her and they all roared in unison. Every dragon had its own unique roar and with all of them roaring, it sounded almost musical. It felt very refreshing with all the wind blowing against Amaterasu's fur. She also felt a sense of freedom. To travel the world in the sky. To come and leave whenever you please. Is this what dragons feel when they are flying? The land below them slowly disappeared and was now a deep blue ocean. Its magnificent color reminded Amaterasu of Mayumi.

Eleven dragons in all. Dark, light, fire, water, earth, air, ice, thunder, chaos, star, and finally dream. Each one served a certain purpose in the world. Well...in their world. Can they do the same in Amaterasu's world? Maybe but she doubted it. The gods rule this world not the dragons. They rule their world. But now one dragon is trying to take Amaterasu's world. And did he not say that their world was gone? Did he destroy that world while trying to obtain power? A few minutes passed and that thought of the dragons' voices came back. Oh, how she wanted to ask Yomiumi! But, sadly, she can't talk. She's a wolf and animals don't talk. She looked into the distance and could already see the clouds of Kamuii. For a strange reason, Amaterasu looked back. She saw small faint stars appearing behind Yomiumi.

The flew closer to Kamuii and Amaterasu could feel its coldness. Then a land of white was below them. Yomiumi slowed down and looked for a place to land. Her wings flapped a bit more rapid in order to land sofly and not break a leg from a hard fall. She gently landed and Amaterasu jumped off her back. The snow drifted down very serenely. Everything looked undisturbed. Amaterasu then heard light footsteps that were very faint. But it was close. From behind, a wolf appeared and lunged at Yomiumi. The wolf was Oki.

"Oki, stop! The dragon is our friend!" yelled Issun.

Oki stopped and a look of confusion was on his face.

"This dragon is with you? I thought it was one of those horrid black dragons."

"It's a reasonable misunderstanding." said Yomiumi. "Have you seen anything peculiar in this land?"

"The only that has happened since Amaterasu left was the barrier. It appeared around Laochi Lake."

"Amaterasu. I am sure that it's Ariya. We must get to get her now."

"Ariya?"

"I'll explain along the way." said Issun.

They traveled through the snow and entered Wep'keer. It still looked the same as before except there was snow now. They went through the gate that lead to Laochi Lake. Amaterasu walked until Issun said something rather startling.

"Ammy! You went through the barrier!"

Amaterasu looked back and saw Issun, Oki, and Yomiumi two yards away from her. Amaterasu didn't even feel the barrier unless...Ariya only wanted her.

"Go on, Amaterasu! Go and speak with Ariya. All I can do is hope that she isn't possessed!"

Amaterasu looked forward and continued to walk. Each step she took made her feel a bit uneasy. She hoped that Ariya was pure. She hoped so hard that it made her stomach hurt. Amaterasu could already see the water of Laochi Lake. She picked up her pace so she could see the dragon of dreams. In the middle of the lake, there was a white cloud. On the cloud was a light blue dragon, lighter than the sky blue color of Akira. She had white lines and swirls on her body. But the lines weren't striped. The lines looked like they moved, sort of a flow. There were also crescent moons on her body and wings. She also had horns like the other dragons but they curved back. In other words, they would travel one inch up but turned straight back. Almost like Ayako's but opposite. Another thing is that she had no spines or anything running down her back.

Amaterasu hesitantly stepped on the water. With her ability to walk on water, she would be able to meet the dragon face to face. She walked on the water toward Ariya, who floated on the cloud with her tail in the water. Amaterasu stood before the dragon, not really sure if Ariya was possessed or not. Ariya looked at her and her eyes were the same color as her scales. Her eyes had a sort of softness to them. No evil or darkness in them. Amaterasu didn't know how long the two of them were looking at each other. It seemed like hours that they looked but was actually five minutes. At last Amaterasu began to think.

A: Is this really the dream dragon?

"Yes, Amaterasu...I am the dragon of dreams."

Her voice sounded very beautiful, a bit more lovely than Terasame's.

A: So you CAN read my mind. Terasame wasn't lying about your power.

"She would never lie about great power. Well, as you already know, Ayako has taken over that heavenly plain in the sky."

A: The Celestial Plain?

"Yes. But I have seen into the future and if you don't stop him, your world will suffer greatly until it is destroyed. Just like mine."

A: He did that in your world? Listen. I need to stop him at any cost, even if the cost is my life.

"No!"

Her voice had a frightening rise to it. The answer was very sudden and made Amaterasu jump.

"You mustn't die! If you do, it will all be over! Especially if you die before you kill him!"

A: Not even you will be able to stop him?

"No, I won't. He has obtained power from somewhere that slowly, but greatly, helped him."

A: The dark spirits...

"What?"

A: Ayako had dark spirits to take away the dragons' power as well as their lives.

"That's the only explanation. Amaterasu, in my look into the future, I've seen something else."

A: What was it?

"A great tragedy is upon the Celestial Plain...I hope you know what I mean."

Amaterasu's eyes widened. Did Ayako...? Maybe he did. So he could get rid of any threats to his power. All there is left is Amaterasu and the dragons.

"Hello again, Amaterasu!" said a voice.

Amaterasu looked behind her and there was Waka, standing on the water. How did he get through the barrier?

"My barrier is meant to keep out mortal beings but only let divine beings through. But I only want it that way for now." said Ariya.

A: So that makes you divine as well. Are you a god?

"Why no, Amaterasu. But dragons are considered to complete tasks that the gods can do too. And we can. In my world, we were considered to be divine."

Waka was slightly confused of the conversation between Amaterasu and the dragon. Issun wasn't around, so how is Amaterasu communicating? This question ran through his mind.

"So, Amaterasu, who's your friend?" asked Ariya.

A: Oh, that's Waka. He's helped me out many times.

"I see. Waka, Amaterasu is communicating with me through her mind. I can read her very thoughts."

Waka was surprised to hear this, since she has heard his thought as well. Amaterasu looked at Ariya and Waka could tell that she was telling the dragon something.

"Amaterasu tells me that you can also see into the future."

"What do you mean 'also'?"

"I have the gift as well. Tell me, do these visions just come up or do you freely look into the future?"

"I only get visions."

"Really? I thought you could look. Definitely a prophet."

A: I know this is a bit off topic but...How do you dragons talk? Whenever I see you guys talk your mouths aren't moving. How is that possible?

"The answer to your question is that all of us dragons have a psychic power. We use that power to talk through our minds. The thought seems to come out of our heads and become speech."

A: It all makes sense now. Can you get rid of this barrier? I want my friend, Issun, here.

"No problem, Amaterasu."

The barrier dissolved. A few minutes later, Yomiumi, Issun, and Oki, who was in human form, came to the lake. Of course, they couldn't actually go up to Amaterasu since she was in the middle of the lake. The cloud under Ariya disappeared and she also stood on the water. At the end of her tail was a crescent moon. The three walked to the shore of the lake and as they got closer, Amaterasu knew that her battle with Ayako was near. A showdown between chaos and light. Dragon vs. wolf. A goddess against a divine creature. Both Yomiumi and Ariya, at the same time, saw the fate of Amaterasu. They knew something had to be done or else...

That is it with this chapter! Please review! If you don't i get a really bad feeling that im doing something wrong. -- and i get a bit self concious about my story. so please review.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Setting Sun

Amaterasu took some time to get ready to face Ayako. She was well rested and now stood before Laochi Lake with Issun, Waka, Yomiumi, and Ariya. Oki had left without saying a word. Strange, though. He disappeared after meeting Ariya. From the sky, a small black orb floated toward Amaterasu. It didn't look like a dark spirit, so what could it be?

"It seems that Terasame has sent you a gift, Amaterasu." said Ariya.

The orb entered Amaterasu's body and was seen no more.

"I believe your new power is to make time slow down for a little longer."

A: Like six seconds? Hey, how come you and Yomiumi aren't possessed?

"Well, since I could see spirits, I killed it. I was lucky, though. It isn't easy to kill a spirit. And I think Yomiumi has done so too."

"Yes I have." said Yomiumi.

"What in the world are you guys talking about!?" shouted Issun.

"Nothing." said Ariya.

"It sounds like something." added Waka.

Amaterasu barked at all of them. All four of them quieted down, obeying the goddess's command. She wanted to be focused on her goal. And that is to kill Ayako. She was ready to face him. Amaterasu looked at Ariya.

"So you're ready?"

"Amaterasu! Before you leave, I want to give you something." said Yomiumi. "I will increase the power of your Power Slash. You are going to need it."

Amaterasu bowed her head to show her appreciation for the dragon. Ariya formed a cloud out of thin air. Amaterasu instinctively jumped on it and saw that the cloud felt solid.

"This cloud will take you to the Celestial Plain. Amaterasu...Good luck! And remember: Don't die!"

A: I'll keep that in mind.

"Use the Solar Blade to help you defeat Ayako. The light from the glaive will help you."

The cloud moved and floated upward. Amaterasu looked up and searched for the Celestial Plain. The cloud rose higher and higher. Amaterasu sat down and waited. She closed her eyes, hoping that it will help make the time go faster. She was nervous for what will happen. Everyone is counting on her to stop this evil from taking over. She felt the cloud stop. Amaterasu opened her eyes and saw the earth of the Celestial Plain. It was dark. She has returned to her home. Thick clouds of chaos and evil were in the sky. There was little light from the sun. Amaterasu stepped on the black earth and walked through the darkness.

Her coat seemed to glow but it didn't offer any light in the area. Each step was cautious. She listened intently for any sound. No one was with her except for Issun. He was very quiet which made Amaterasu feel rather uneasy. A snap of a twig made Amaterasu jump. She turned to where the sound came from. A four-legged creature moved forward and stopped a few feet away from her. The darkness looked like it cleared up as if to let Amaterasu see who exactly this was. None other than Ayako. At last, she is face to face with him. She will make him pay for what he has done to her world. Making everyone suffer. Like he would care! He just wants power and rule her world and possibly destroy it in the process.

Amaterasu snarled at him and he let out a small growl. She could see him clearly this time. Yellow eyes with no emotion but malice. His wings looked like they were torn up. And his tail ran some length before splitting into a three-pronged fork. Like all the other dragons, except Ariya, he had spines. He circled her, observed her to see how strong she could be before he fought her. He circled her twice before he stopped.

"You have become a great threat to me. I thought the dragons would kill you before you had the chance to purify them."

"As if! Unlike the other dragons, we will make sure to kill you! You have caused great misery to the people in Nippon. And I'm sure the dragons don't want you around either!"

"They never wanted me. They always told me that life can exist without chaos."

"And I bet it would be better too!"

"Really? Well, how will your world exist without gods?"

Issun was quiet for some time before he replied.

"Wait...Did you...!?"

"Indeed I did. In case you don't know, I killed the gods. Every last one of them!" he chuckled.

Amaterasu was emotionless at first as if she couldn't really process what he had just said. Then she felt sorrow but that emotion was soon replaced by fury. She felt great anger towards him. Amaterasu has never felt this way toward someone. Now she was sure. She will kill him...No hesitation in the thought. She WILL kill him. And she will make him suffer for what he did. First, he comes here and curses her world and now he has killed the gods. Amaterasu felt bitter hate towards him. Her hate and anger was so great that she ran head-first to him. She attacked him with almost everything she had but none of it seemed to work. Then she remembered what Ariya had told her. "Use the Solar Blade to help you defeat Ayako." Amaterasu unsheathed the glaive of light. Its light shone brightly in the darkness.

Ayako's claws lit up with a strange flame. The flame then covered up all of his claws. A dark fire. He lunged at Amaterasu with his claws in front of him. Amaterasu protected herself with the Solar Blade. She slashed at Ayako with the sword. Claws struck the blade of the sword and sometimes they were able to connect to hurt Amaterasu. After almost fifteen minutes, they stopped. Amaterasu's fur was covered in gashes as well as Ayako. Blood dripped from Ayako's scales and yet he showed no kind of weakness. Amaterasu's blood stained her brilliant white coat. She panted from all the fighting. No one was with her except Issun. If she was in dear trouble, she would die. Her legs were a bit shaky, but other than that, she wasn't tired.

Ayako suddenly ran straight to Amaterasu. His jaws opened and Amaterasu could see the sharp teeth in his mouth. Amaterasu jumped out of the way but was too late. She felt his teeth clamp down on her left, a little below her shoulder. There was already a wound there. She let out a yelp of pain and she felt an ocean of agony. The Solar Blade's handle was in her mouth and she swung as hard as she could, hoping that it would hit him. The blade made a gash at the base of Ayako's neck. He let go of her and she hit the ground on her back which hurt her. Ayako clutched Amaterasu's neck with his claws. He kept her pinned to the floor and she struggled to break free.

Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She tried to claw at him but it appeared to be ineffective. Issun, seeing his friend in great danger, jumped on top of Ayako's head. Ayako violently shook his head, trying to make the poncle fall of his head. Issun held on tight. He saw the dragon's eye, a glowing yellow color. He unsheathed his sword and held it up high. Amaterasu could no longer breath. The sword came down and pierced in the eye. Ayako let go of Amaterasu and he let out a roar of pain. He reached for the sword but was unable to pull it out. Blood ran out of his eye and it trickled down his neck. Issun jumped off and headed to Amaterasu. She breathed heavily, each breath sounded almost like a sob. Amaterasu already felt light-headed from the lack of air. She looked at Ayako.

He appeared like a golden-brown blur. Then she felt something like a sword slash in the same place that Ayako had bit. She fell down to the floor. Amaterasu looked up and saw that it was Ayako. She had only blinked once and already he attacked. It seemed unbelievably fast. His claws were covered in blood, her blood. She quickly got up, despite her wounds. Her Solar Blade attacked in a fury, each blow seemed to grow stronger. She drove the blade into Ayako. The white blade entered nine inches deep into his flesh. He tried to pull it out but the sword zapped him with great power. And yet, strangely, he chuckled.

"What is so funny!?" yelled Issun.

"You are more formidable than I thought."

"And that's funny?"

"No. It just now I can really use my true power."

Ayako let out a tremendous roar and Amaterasu found herself surrounded. It was all the dark spirits that she had encountered. Each one with its own color of eyes. The color showed the element it once possessed. Only eight were here.

"Now, Amaterasu, let me ask you this. What will happen if the elements were unified?"

The spirits flew off and, one by one, entered Ayako. Amaterasu could feel his power increase. The Solar Blade, still in the dragon's flesh, began to shake. At last, the final spirit was absorbed into Ayako. The Solar Blade shot out of Ayako and it almost hit Amaterasu. Amaterasu couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that all the wounds she inflicted on Ayako had disappeared. He was healed by the dark spirits. Amaterasu blinked and, when she opened her eyes, was face-to-face with a black wolf. It was pure black, dark as the spirits that had possessed the dragons. It didn't take Amaterasu long for her to find out that this was a spirit.

The wolf crouched, its shoulders higher than its back. It lunged at Amaterasu and went completely right through her. She was confused and turned around to see the wolf. The wolf had a white orb in its mouth with a symbol of heaven in it. Amaterasu felt her power drain rapidly. Soon, she was reduced to no more than a regular white wolf. The orb that the wolf spirit had was her Celestial Brush power and without it, she was powerless. All this seemed vaguely familiar. It happened before with Yami. But it wouldn't stop her. It didn't then and it wouldn't now. Amaterasu let out a snarl. The Solar Blade swung and struck Ayako.

Amaterasu attacked in a fury, just like before. But she noticed that the blade didn't leave a mark on Ayako. Not even a scratch.

"You're just wasting your time. Just one more god to get rid of." said Ayako.

He lifted up his claws and they were soon covered in a flame of many colors. Yet the colors had a slight shade of black in them. His claws came down and struck Amaterasu with great power. The force knocked her six feet away from Ayako. Issun jumped off of Amaterasu and looked at where Ayako had hit her. He hit the same place where he had bit her. The wound was bleeding heavily and it was already making a puddle underneath Amaterasu. Issun didn't want to believe or say what was happening to her. Amaterasu was dying.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Fall of the Dragons

"Look at the great god now! How pathetic!" said Ayako.

He circled her again. It made Amaterasu feel nervous when he was gone from her sight. She couldn't move because of the pain. From the corner of her eye, she could see the dark wolf spirit with the orb of her power in its jaws. It was not only the pain that hurt her but also her failure. The one thing she wasn't supposed to do and she did it. She knew she was going to die. Either from the loss of blood or from Ayako. Amaterasu could feel Issun tug at her fur, trying to make her get up. This hurt her even more. Her best friend was about to see her die. Amaterasu had the need to cry but she couldn't.

A: I'm sorry, Issun. I failed you, Ariya, and all the people in the world. Chaos has overcomed light.

Ayako had stopped circling her.

"It looks like my promise to you has been fulfilled. I thought you were going to be more formidable after that encounter in Taka Pass. Looks like I was wrong. Now, how should I kill you? I could let you suffer by leaving you like this or I could just kill you right away."

He stood there, thinking.

"I'll just kill you right now. Finally, chaos will rule."

He walked toward her and lifted up his claws. That same multicolored fire surrounded his claws. His claws were held up high. Amaterasu closed her eyes, waiting for him to end her life. But then she heard a roar from Ayako. She opened her eyes and saw a sword in Ayako's left side. Suddenly Ariya appeared and tackled Ayako. Amaterasu felt a hand on her head. She looked up and saw Waka. The sword was his. Amaterasu felt relief. She was relieved that her friends have come to save her. She could hear Ariya fighting with Ayako. Waka stood next to Amaterasu, still petting her head.

"What has happened to you, Amaterasu?"

"What does it look like!?" shouted Issun.

"This is no time for your attitude, my little bouncing friend."

Issun was surprised by this remark.

"Well, Ariya will be able to form a barrier around you, so I'll have to fight Ayako."

Waka went over to Ayako and pulled his sword out. His sword was covered in blood. Ariya quickly moved to Amaterasu and layed next to her.

A: Sorry...

"You shouldn't be sorry. All this happened because of me."

Amaterasu's ears picked up.

"I had the chance to finally end Ayako's life in our world. But I hesitated because I have never killed a fellow element dragon."

A: And he destroyed your world at that opportunity.

"Yes."

Amaterasu could see that Ariya was looking at the dark wolf.

"That wolf is actually the spirit that was supposed to take the power of Yomiumi. She lied when she told you that she eliminated the spirit. Only I can see the spirits from the other world."

Amaterasu's vision went a bit more blurry. She was barely hanging on to life.

"Amaterasu...There is only one course of action left for me to take. It will help you greatly."

Ariya got up and let out a soft roar. In a flash, the other dragons appeared. There was some worry in their eyes because of Amaterasu. Ariya looked at Amaterasu.

"Amaterasu, please don't forget the sacrifice that we dragons are about to make."

A: Wait! What are you going to do!?

Amaterasu saw Nagura disappear, leaving behind a yellow orb. Then Naoko disappeared. One by one, the dragons disappeared. Finally, only Ariya was left. Her eyes looked into Amaterasu's, and she, too, disappeared. All the orbs that the dragons left behind combined, forming a beautiful white orb of power. It entered Amaterasu's body. Suddenly, a blinding light surrounded Amaterasu. Issun closed his eyes. Waka and Ayako stopped fighting and looked at the light. Shortly, they closed their eyes as well. The wolf spirit that held Amaterasu's power exploded to small black particles, and left nothing behind. Ayako could feel the light burn his scales. Then the light dimmed a bit. Ayako opened his eyes and no longer saw a wolf.

Instead, there was a beautiful woman with silver hair that had black tips. She wore a white kimono with red flames all around it. There was a red obi around her waist and she held the Solar Blade in her right hand. Her amber eyes had nothing but fury in them. Issun and Waka were surprised that the white wolf had turned into a woman.

"You were a girl all this time? The god is actually a goddess." insulted Ayako.

Amaterasu walked to Ayako, so they could fight face to face. The multicolored flames appeared around Ayako's claws. He leaped into the air and attempted to slash Amaterasu. Amaterasu held up the Solar Blade, which clashed against the claws. But the blade extinguished the flames around Ayako's claws. The glaive's light struck Ayako's claws with great power. Ayako leaped back, blood dripping heavily from his claws. Amaterasu rushed toward Ayako and swung her sword valiantly. Each time the Solar Blade hit Ayako's flesh, it weakened his power that he obtained from the dark spirits. Thirty minutes passed until Ayako was gasping for life. Gashes were all over his body and his vision was a bit blurry.

"It appears to be the end for me..." said Ayako. "But remember, Amaterasu. Chaos will always exist, whether you like it or not."

Amaterasu's face gave a look as if she knew already. She held up her sword and swung it down. Then there was all this dark power around Ayako. Then the dark power and Ayako disappeared. It was quiet for some time.

"Ammy...You did it!!!" exclaimed Issun.

"Amaterasu, you have rid Nippon of chaos." said Waka.

"It looks like I can't call you 'furball' anymore!" laughed Issun.

Amaterasu smiled. At that moment, the Solar Blade shattered. A white cloud formed from the pieces and drifted peacefully to the Guardian Sapling on the darkened plain. The sapling suddenly bursted into petals and the black land under Amaterasu's feet began to breathe with life. The Guardian Sapling appeared to be bigger than before but it was no bigger than Sakuya's tree. Then a light surrounded Amaterasu. Her hands changed into paws. She transformed back into a wolf.

But she saw someone standing before her. It was Ariya. She was a spirit now and the other nine dragons were as well. They all bowed down to Amaterasu and soon disappeared.

* * *

I finally finished my first story! But there is still the epilogue. review my story please! 


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

Amaterasu looked at the sun, which was now high in the sky. Issun had left so he could tell everyone of Amaterasu's power. But sorrow was in her heart even after she killed Ayako. The gods were dead now. It was a lot quieter on the Celestial Plain. She decided to her mind of these sad thoughts by running. Amaterasu ran as fast as she could over the grass of the plain. A trail of flowers appeared behind her. After a couple of minutes of running, she began to catch her breath. Amaterasu had a strange feeling that someone was watching her. She whirled around and saw ten spirits standing before her. The dragon spirits returned after a two week absence.

"Amaterasu, would it be okay for us to live here in your world? Our world is gone and we have no place for us to live." said Ariya.

A: But your spirits now. Shouldn't you be in the other world?

"We dragons can be reborn."

A: Does this mean that Ayako will come back!?

"No, he won't come back. Can we stay or not?"

A: I guess you can stay...

"Thank you from the depth of our hearts. We shall forever serve you, Amaterasu. We will regain our physical forms in the world below."

Nine spirits dashed with incredible speed over the Celestial Plain. They soon disappeared. Ariya stood there before Amaterasu as if she had something else to say.

"Amaterasu, I know that you tranformed when our power and lives went to you. But you transformed back when our spirits left your body. All the other dragons have given you a gift, except for me. I will give you a fraction of my psychic power, allowing you to speak."

A small light blue orb appeared over Ariya's claw. It flew gently and entered Amaterasu's body. The dragon spirit then dashed and soon disappeared. Amaterasu looked back at the sun.

"Out of the many powers that I have received, this is the greatest." said Amaterasu.

She was a bit shocked that words left her mouth. What shocked her more was how beautiful her voice was. A wolf-like smile appeared over her face. A bit of happiness was in her heart. But she would never forget the gods for they were the ones that gave her her first powers.

**The End**


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